The Benefits Of Swimming For Fitness

Swimming is one of those exercises that's hard to hate, since it’s gentle and yet fun at the same time. Most people enjoy a dip in the pool, so why not turn that dip into some laps as a form of exercise? There are many fitness benefits that one can get from swimming. To find out what they are, keep reading.

Swimming Is Great Cardio

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Swimming requires a lot of energy and burns a lot of calories thanks to the fact that, when you swim, you need to move your whole body instead of just your legs or your arms. Swimming works your body vigorously and increases your heart rate the same way any cardio workout, such as dancing or running, would. So if you take up swimming for fitness, you will improve your cardiovascular capacity and boost your metabolism at the same time. To get the most out of swimming (as with other forms of exercise), it’s most helfpul to use interval training where you do high intensity sprint swimming alternated with easier movements. This way you’ll push your body hard but will be able to do so for a longer period of time, and will also get more of the other benefits mentioned above.

Swimming Is Great For Strength Training

Not only is swimming good for a cardio workout, swimming also challenges muscles all over your body and is great for increasing overall body strength. The water resistance you face while swimming forces your muscles to work harder - just like traditional forms of strength training. You’ll be able to gain some muscle and tone up your body at the same time. Swimming is also widely used as therapy to strengthen injured muscles in athletes, since the water resistance provides a good workout without giving stress to the injured body parts, and it is low impact on your joints.

Swimming (Photo credit: maraker)

Swimming Is Great For Everybody!

Another great thing about swimming is that everybody can do it and enjoy it. It's suitable for every age group and fitness level; you can decide how hard to push yourself when you swim. Elderly people can benefit from swimming too, since the water gives good support to their body and they can stay fit without worrying about injuring their back or joints. It’s also a great activity to do with your family: you can have fun together and stay healthy at the same time. For the most health benefits, swim in fresh water, or use a salt pool rather than a chlorinated one, as long-term repeated exposure to chlorine can damage skin, hair, and lungs.