9 health benefits of swimming
The benefits of swimming for the body are quite a lot, you know. Swimming has been known as the most perfect sport because it has so many benefits.
Swimming is an ideal type of exercise to be more active and stay healthy, regardless of age or ability. Swimming is also a sport often done by athletes to stay strong and fit while recovering from injury with Digital lifeguard training.
Swimming has far more benefits than most people know. So, let’s take a deep breath, and dive into the following 9 benefits of swimming:
1. Increase Muscle Strength
Swimming uses muscle strength throughout the body. While runners use more of their leg muscles, swimmers use more muscle groups to move in the water.
In addition, exercising in water makes the body work harder so that 30 minutes in the pool equals 45 minutes on land with the same activity.
2. Increase Flexibility
Swimming involves movements, such as reaching, stretching, twisting, and pulling in the water. The ankles are used as flippers and are stretched with each kick. Repeated stretching was found to help increase flexibility.
3. Reduces Inflammation
It is common knowledge that swimming can strengthen the heart muscle. This quoted from various studies that aerobic activity such as swimming can reduce inflammation that leads to atherosclerosis (plaque formation) in the heart.
4. Burn Calories
Swimming is one of the most effective ways to burn calories. Relaxing swimming can burn more than 200 calories in just half an hour, twice as fast as walking.
5. Increases Bone Mass
Swimming can reduce body fat thereby increasing blood flow and bone mass. However, further research is still needed to confirm this given that an increase in bone mass can only be achieved through weight-bearing exercises.
6. Good For Asthma
Humid air while swimming can reduce the incidence of asthma. Not only does it help relieve asthma symptoms, but studies have also shown that swimming can improve overall lung conditions.
7. Reduces Stress and Depression
Just like yoga, swimming can be used as meditation to calm yourself down because the sound of your breath and flowing water helps your ability to focus. Swimming regularly can reduce stress levels, reduce anxiety and depression, and improve sleep patterns.
8. Increase Intelligence
Research in Australia shows that children who swim regularly are able to master language development, fine motor skills, self-confidence, and physical development more quickly than children who do not swim regularly.
9. Increases Life Expectancy
Although all sports have a good effect on health and longer life, research reveals that swimming is one of the best choices.
The results found that people who swam had a 50 percent lower mortality rate compared to runners, walkers, or people who didn’t exercise.
