We have probably all been in the water at least once and many of us can float and swim. However, we often don't realise all the benefits of swimming for our body and mind.
A lot of people think of swimming as just another fitness exercise. That is not exactly right. In reality, swimming is one of the best exercises you can do because it intensively works your entire body while being completely harmless for your joints, for this reason, it can also be a great addition to your weight loss routine.
Swimming is perfectly suitable for almost everyone, from children to the elderly, and can even be practised by pregnant women.
Of course, you need to be sure that you feel confident in the water and can go to deep parts of the pool without any risk. You should also be careful when swimming in the ocean because waves may make it more difficult to stay afloat or even take you away from the shore.
If you want to make the most of your swimming exercises, it can be useful to take a few lessons with a coach. They'll oversee your technique while you swim and help you tweak it when needed. When swimming correctly, you'll enjoy that great activity even better and reap even more benefits.
In this article, we'll look at the benefits of swimming in more detail, so you can decide on whether it is something for you in full knowledge of the facts.
Improve your physical fitness
One of the main reasons why most people exercise is to improve the physical fitness of their body. That has become especially important in the last decades as there are more and more sedentary jobs.
A sedentary lifestyle may lead to several problems, such as backaches, heart diseases, lack of energy and low endurance. Additionally, it may also cause various mental problems because we don't have a way to let our stress out and it keeps accumulating over time.
Regular physical exercise can help you solve all those issues and bring you plenty of other benefits. But what type of exercise to choose for the maximum health effect? Swimming is arguably one of the best options around.
You can get more information on swimming lessons in Australia here.
The main advantage of that activity is that it works the muscles of our entire body, including the back, abs, legs and core. In one workout in the pool, you can burn plenty of calories and boost your physical fitness in a balanced way.
As a cardio exercise, swimming is also great training for our stamina. After swimming regularly for one or two months, you'll be able to go upstairs without getting out of breath and take greater pleasure in your walks and outdoor activities in general.
Finally, a significant advantage of swimming compared to many other disciplines is that is harmless for your joints. When we swim, the water supports our body weight, so our joints are at rest while our muscles are training.
As a low-risk activity swimming is perfectly suitable for all groups of people independently of their age and physical health.
Read more about swimming for elderly people in our article.
Swimming can be practised during pregnancy
Doing exercise during pregnancy is without any doubt a delicate business because the woman needs to care not only about herself but also about the baby. Going to a swimming pool can be an excellent solution in that case too.
When she gets into the water, it will support both her body weight and that of the baby, so there is no risk of it being affected in any way, unlike with other sports such as running or gymnastics.
On top of that, spending time in the water is a great way to relieve the pressure on the woman's back and even strengthen her muscles which will be very useful at the moment of delivery.
You should just make sure to eat sufficiently for you and your baby on the days you swim because physical activity takes a lot of calories.
It may be useful to talk to your nutritionist before you start to exercise, so you can get the most benefit from each workout without running any risk.
Train your lungs
One of the most important aspects that determine how well we swim is breathing. The main idea is to breathe out underwater and then lift your head a little to breathe in.
As a result, swimmers breathe in and out after each series of movements which makes your lungs work at full capacity.
Improving our lungs can help us swim longer without getting tired and is beneficial for our health in general. When we breathe well, our body is better supplied with oxygen and that boosts our concentration, stamina and productivity no matter what activity we are doing.
Get classic swimming lessons here on Superprof.
Make your brain work faster
Even if you are a student or have an intellectual job that doesn't require a lot of movement, physical exercise can help you improve your results. Surprising as it may seem, regular practice of a sport is not only good for our body health but can also make us more clever.
As we have already said, swimming is a great activity for our lungs, so our brain starts getting more oxygen. In addition to that, cardio training speeds up our heart rate so it starts pumping more blood and sending it to the different parts of our body, including the head.
Start taking adult swimming lessons here on Superprof.
Even though it's normal to feel a bit tired after a swimming session, you may also notice that your ideas have become clearer. Over the long term, swimming can produce a long-lasting positive effect on your brain and you'll study or work more efficiently.
Good stress reliever
Another mental benefit of swimming is that it's a great stress reliever. It is a widely known fact that when we exercise, our body starts producing serotonin, which stabilises our mood and makes us feel happier.
When we study or work, we can often get into challenging situations and need a way to let the tension out. Next time that happens to you, just drop by a pool on your way home and you'll certainly see the result.
We may need to swim in different situations
Aside from its numerous benefits for our health, swimming skills can simply come in handy in a variety of situations. For example, when we travel by ship or walk on a riverbank, an accident may happen and you or someone else might end up in the water.
The ability to swim can make a real difference in that kind of situation. You'll be able to get to safety yourself or help other people who are less good swimmers than you.
Find swimming lessons from Superprof.
Swimming can become a job
In addition to being a pleasant and beneficial activity, swimming can also become a profession. One possible career is to become a sportsman and earn a living taking part in swimming competitions or giving lessons.
Another option is to choose one of the professions that are directly related to water, such as a rescuer, a seaman, a diver or an underwater archaeologist.
You'll have an interesting and well-paid job that will keep your muscles fit all the time.
Swimming as a rehabilitation activity
As a low-risk exercise, swimming is perfectly suitable for people recovering from injuries or having health problems.
If your body is still too weak, you can do different exercises in the water, such as arm and leg movements or water treading. As you'll float on the surface of the water, there'll be no pressure on your joints and ligaments, while your muscles are being trained.
There is more on swimming for rehabilitation purposes in our article.
If you decide to swim for rehabilitation, you should, of course, be careful not to overtrain your body. For that, you'll need a well-conceived training program, so it's advisable for you to be guided by a professional coach.
Swimming for children
As children grow up, it is highly recommended that they practise a sport. Swimming can be, of course, an excellent option for them.
It can help kids improve their coordination, boost their stamina and strength, and develop a healthy competitive spirit to be more tenacious when facing difficulties.
Children can start learning to swim from a very young age and do it in total safety, given they are accompanied by a qualified teacher.
A lot of swimming centres in Australia have special swimming pools for young children where they can have fun paddling about while figuring out how to float.
Find more reasons to teach your kids to swim in our article.
A great way to have fun
Finally, the last but not the least reason to take up swimming is that it can simply be very fun. We can do it in a pool, a lake or right in the ocean and it's an excellent sport to practise together with friends.
Taking a dip is an excellent way to cool off on a hot day and if you are with friends, you can play games and do other entertaining activities.
All you need is to pick up the right technique and you'll feel confident and relaxed in the water to make the most of it.
Check out these adult swimming lessons from Superprof.
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