7 Health Benefits of Swimming

Dec 12, 2022 | News

Swimming is a fun activity, but it also provides a number of health benefits. Aside from being soothing, the resistance and buoyancy of the water help to improve muscle mass, endurance, flexibility, and it also gives our body a workout from head to toe. Swimming can even help to lower stress levels, reduce depression and improve the quality of your sleep. Read on to learn more about the health benefits of swimming and why it’s one of the most recommended forms of physical exercise.

A Full Body Workout

Swimming is an excellent way to stay in shape as it gives the entire body a workout. When you’re swimming through the water, it helps to build endurance and strengthen your muscles at the same time. And unlike lifting weights at the gym or going for a run, being in the water eliminates the stress and impact that’s often placed on the muscles and joints when working out. Whether you swim freestyle, backstroke, front crawl or do the butterfly, it will tone and strengthen your muscles, work your cardiovascular system and help you maintain a healthy weight.

It’s an Excellent Form of Exercise for Injuries

If you or a loved one has suffered from an injury, it can be difficult to stay active. But if possible, finding ways to maintain some form of movement and exercise is important. Swimming is ideal in this case. Whether it’s a sudden physical injury, a disability or even chronic arthritis, the low-impact of swimming provides an active outlet that’s gentle, engaging and can even help to reduce pain and stiffness in the body.

Lowers Stress and Depression

Swimming activates those feel-good hormones, just like with regular exercise. These happy hormones help to naturally lower stress and depression. The combination of stretching and rhythmic motion that comes with swimming relaxes the whole body, improves mood and makes you feel great.

Safe to Do During Pregnancy

It can be challenging to stay active when you’re pregnant. But swimming offers a fun and rewarding way to stay fit. The buoyancy of the water helps to relieve the heavyweight of the belly and the back pain that often comes along with it. It’s an easy and fun way to give your body some time to relax too.

Improves Quality of Sleep

Naturally, as we start to fall asleep, our body temperature drops. Swimming before bedtime can help our body get into this sleepy state since our temperature also drops when we get out of the water. If you’re someone who struggles to sleep, this could be an excellent activity to try out before bedtime.

Makes Your Heart Stronger

The resistance of the water gives our cardiovascular system a good workout which helps to strengthen our heart and keep it healthy. Some studies have also shown that swimming can lower blood pressure and control blood sugar levels too.

Ideal for Those with Asthma

If you suffer from asthma, you may experience certain barriers to physical activity. But since swimming builds up the muscles you use to breathe, it actually helps to improve the capacity of our lungs. It also prevents common asthma symptoms as the lungs are exposed to warm, moist air. This makes it an ideal activity to do if you have asthma.

As you can see, there are so many amazing health benefits of swimming. Aside from being good for you, it’s also a fun way to destress and unwind. If you’re looking for a fun way to spend more quality time with your loved ones at home while staying active, installing a swimming pool is a perfect way to do so. When you’re ready to start planning your dream pool design, get in touch with our team at Benson Pools today.

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