How Swimming Impacts Your Health
By Sara Butler
Have you been hitting the pool this summer? If you haven’t, then you’re really missing out on one of the healthiest activities out there! Swimming is a great workout that engages your entire body – but the benefits keep going from there! Here are all the reasons you may want to consider adding swimming to your workout regimen.
It’s Low Impact!
Swimming is a low-impact workout that’s kind to your joints. That means there’s less load placed on your joints during exercise, which can be quite a boon for people with aches and pains in their joints. When you swim, it’s easy to engage your entire body and move your joints through their full range of motion easily. This is especially helpful for people who may be struggling with arthritis pain.
It Improves Flexibility
Just as with any other physical activity, you should take the time to stretch before you get in the water. But swimming itself helps to improve your flexibility by expanding your body’s range of motion easily as you move through the water. That has the huge benefit of increasing your overall flexibility!
It Improves Heart Health
Swimming is aerobic exercise, which means it helps to stimulate blood flow throughout your entire body and strengthens your heart in the process. Aerobic exercise has also been found to help reduce blood pressure – so it’s just a great exercise for your heart and blood vessels any way you look at it!
It Reduces Stress
Swimming is good for your body and your brain. It causes your body to release endorphins, which help to elicit relaxation. When you swim, the constant stretching of muscles combined with heavy breathing helps to create a rhythm. When you focus on the rhythm of the exercise then you are able to put bothersome or troubling thoughts out of your head and that leads to a reduction in stress.
It Helps You Live Longer
Research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that in a 32-year longitudinal study, swimmers had a 50 percent lower rate of death than non-swimmers. This is likely due to a combination of all the positive effects of swimming on the body.
If you’re looking for an exercise that’s good for you and easy on your joints, then you can’t go wrong with swimming. Join your local gym or take a swimming class to unlock the benefits of swimming in your life!
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Acworth, Ga.