5 Reasons Why You Should Swim

Swimming has been an exercise used for all ages and has an extensive history in sports. Most apartments or the neighbourhood clubs that I have come across have at least 1 swimming pool where the residents are able to utilize. However it is sad to see that swimming pools are underutilized which is common in today’s time where technological devices dominates most of our time. Be it working on our desktop or watching videos while keeping tabs on Facebook, all these activities has led to a sedentary behavior. Having a sedentary lifestyle contributes almost none to our health benefits, also it adds to a lists of diseases and illnesses. That being said, chronic conditions or diseases are often best treated with exercise. Swimming is one of the favourite exercises that chiropractors love to recommend and here’s why.

Reduces Early Mortality
Research has shown that men who swim regularly reduces the mortality rate by 50% in comparison to those who run, walk or do no physical activities. It is also found that swimming for 2 and a half hours per week is able to reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

Aerobic Exercise
Swimming like all other aerobic exercises benefits us in many ways. One of those would be to ensure that our heart stays strong, able to deliver nutrients to all parts of the body. That being said, good blood circulation in our body helps to clear obstructions in our blood vessels reducing the risks of heart disease. With a healthy blood circulatory system, it increases our focus and energy throughout the day, thus reducing fatigue.

Resistant Exercise
Unlike the weights that we see in the gym, swimming has a comparatively lower stress load on our muscles and joints. However the drag force in the swimming pools which is a form of resistance is able to stimulate muscle strength, giving your muscles a toner look and strength. It targets your core, arm, legs, glutes and your back. It is practically a full body workout! For older adults, swimming has been shown to improve quality of life and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Post-menopausal women in particular are at increased risk of bone loss, and swimming provides a safe and effective form of the resistance exercise that is needed to maintain bone density.

Load Reducing Effect
Being in the water does definitely lightens your body when your neck is submerged in the water, your body weight is effectively reduced by 90 percent. Clients who experiences high stress in their joints especially in the lower back, knees and hips often find swimming a better exercise due to the load reducing effect.

Weight Loss
Weight loss is a worldwide trend as it promotes not only a healthy outer appearance but for some, it’s simply for their own health purpose. The stats for obesity is increasing every year and due to this, numbers for chronic diseases also follow suit.  Swimming is proven to be good tool for weight loss primarily for its load reducing effect, as people who are overweight and obese people can get a good workout without placing large amounts of painful stress on the lower body’s muscles and joints. This suggests that swimming could be an attractive option for people trying to manage their weight.

In conclusion, if any of you who are interested in swimming but yet to do so for whatever reason, go ahead and get your goggles! It is one of those sports which are fun and keeps you healthy at the same time.