by Swimming is said to be the perfect exercise. You can get all the benefits of aerobic exercise by swimming without any harmful effects on the joints. Swimming can be done by both old and young. It is used by athletes to stay strong, recover from injury and stay fit. And compared to other exercises, you do not even need any fancy equipment to swim. So let’s know about the benefits of swimming –
BENEFITS OF SWIMMING
Swimmers take advantage of muscle strength through the whole body. Swimming requires 12 times more effort than when exercising on land. Swimming makes your muscles grow and strengthen. Swimming strengthens all the joints in your body. When the strength of your whole body is used for swimming, then it is considered a good workout. Swimming is one of the best aerobic exercises for your physical workout.
1. Swimming Build Strong Bones
Over the years, swimming affects bone mass, according to researchers. After all, only weight-bearing exercise was able to achieve this advantage, right? According to research published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, the study put rats into three groups: running, swimming and a control group with no exercise stimulus. While running still showed the greatest increase in BMD (bone mineral density), the swimming group showed benefits for both BMD and femoral bone weight.
2. Increase body flexibility
Swimming requires you to stretch, twist and pull to reach your path through the water. Your ankles become wings and with each kick you push against the fluid pressure. Repetitive stretching in different strokes also helps with flexibility.
3. Good for cardiovascular health
The cardiovascular benefits of swimming to strengthen the heart muscle are common knowledge, with research suggesting that aerobic activities such as swimming reduce the inflammation that builds up in the heart of atherosclerosis. Reducing system-wide inflammation slows disease progression in many other areas, so hopefully more benefits will accrue as research progresses. Swimming for half an hour per day reduces the risk of heart disease in women by 30 to 40%.
4. Swimming helps in Weight Loss
Everyone knows swimming is a great way to burn calories, but most don’t know that it’s just as efficient as running on a treadmill. Depending on the stroke you choose and your intensity, swimming can burn the same or more calories than running. Swimming for 30 minutes every day reduces about 440 calories from the body.
5. Swimming is Good for Asthma
Nothing is more frustrating than trying to exercise and being unable to breathe. Swimming not only helps in reducing the symptoms of asthma but studies have shown that it can also improve the overall condition of the lungs. In a recent study, a group of children who completed a six-week swimming program saw an improvement in symptoms of intensity, snoring, mouth-breathing and hospitalizations and ER visits. These benefits were still noted a year after the swimming program ended. For people who do not have asthma, swimming increases their overall lung volume and teaches good breathing techniques.
6. Benefits of Swimming for Depression
When you are stressed, you are not able to do any work in a better way. Swimming provides relief from stress and makes your brain work better. It reduces stress and depression naturally. Research also shows that swimming can prevent brain stress through a process called hippocampal neurogenesis. So, if you feel that you are drowning emotionally, you should start swimming. This exercises your entire body, so swimming is better than gym in many respects.
7. Swimming for Skin
You can see a huge improvement in skin over time if you switch from pool swimming to working out with water in the ocean. Regular swimming in salt water helps the skin retain moisture and promotes detoxification for new cell growth.
8. Swimming for Long Life
Although all exercises can produce greater health and longevity, swimming is considered the best option among them. Researchers from the University of South Carolina looked at 40,547 men aged 20 to 90 for more than 32 years. The results showed that those who swam had a 50 percent lower death rate than others who did not exercise.
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