Swimming is known to be beneficial for everyone. It has been called the “perfect exercise”. It is utilized by athletes to stay strong and keep fit when recovering from injury, and there is no fancy equipment needed—just you and the water is all you need. However, swimming has many more benefits that those obvious advantages seen on the surface; its improvements to overall health go much deeper.
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Swimming Reduces Inflammation
Research indicates aerobic activities, such as swimming, reduce inflammation that leads to atherosclerosis buildup in the heart. Reducing system-wide inflammation leads to lessened disease progression in many other areas as well, so expect to hear of more benefits as the research progresses.2
Swimming Builds Bone Mass
In the past only weight-bearing exercises were able to achieve this benefit. According to research published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.2 Because there are ethical reasons to avoid in-depth bone examination on humans, the study put rats into three groups: running, swimming, and a control group with no exercise stimulation. While running still showed the highest increase in BMD (Bone Mineral Density), the swimming group also showed benefits over the control group in both BMD and femoral bone weight. While more studies are needed, these new findings show that previous research dismissing swimming’s bone benefits may need to be revisited.2
Other benefits of swimming
Swimming has many other benefits including:
- being a relaxing and peaceful form of exercise1
- alleviating stress1
- improving coordination, balance and posture1
- improving flexibility1
- providing good low-impact therapy for some injuries and conditions1
- providing a pleasant way to cool down on a hot day1
Feeling motivated to put on a swimsuit now? Go for it!
References
- Swimming: Health Benefits. Better Health Channel. Retrieved on Novemeber 1, 2015 from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/swimming-health-benefits
- Hansen, S. Ten Benefits of Swimming You May Not Know About. Retrieved on November 1, 2015 from http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/ten-benefits-swimming-you-may-not-know-about.html
Swimming is an amazing workout and one of only a few that are completely full body workouts at once. I grew up on a lake and till this day I always feel great when swimming.
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