You must have heard about an average of 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week that human bodies require to stay healthy. Swimming is considered as one of the most beneficial forms of exercise as it torches calories, boosts mood, improves cardiovascular health, and so forth. We dug through the top 10 health benefits of swimming and why you should pick it up as an activity every once in a while to reap its benefits.
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Top Health Benefits of Swimming
Low Impact Exercise
Regular swimming can benefit your whole body and not just specific muscles or limbs. Swimming is usually considered low-impact which means it doesn’t stress the body compared to HIIT exercises. Moreover, it tones muscles and builds strength and endurance that we will get to in a bit. Thanks to the buoyancy of the water, swimming reduces the general impact on the joints and muscles, making it a go-for for those with chronic pain, injuries, or joint conditions such as arthritis.
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Weight Management
Swimming has always been a master for weight management. It torches calories like anything. It is estimated to burn 180 calories for a 30-minute low-intensity swimming for a 57kg woman. Yank it up to 300 calories with 30 minutes of high-intensity swimming and you will soon reach your goal for average daily calories burned. Club it with a calorie deficit high protein diet and you will see the results on your body.
Improves Sleep
High-intensity workouts before bedtime can jump adrenaline and heart rate, which is essentially not good for the human body. Alternatively, are you struggling to sleep at night? It could be anything from pain to insomnia to simply a bad habit of using your phone while in bed leading to loss of quality sleep or deprivation.
Try swimming for a change. A low-impact exercise as mentioned above, research has suggested moderate-intensity swimming has the potential to improve sleep quality and reduce pain. Although the connection between swimming and sleep quality is still a matter of debate, it does offer you an unfiltered freedom from using electronics at night which is certainly worse for your health over time.
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Reduces Pain and Stiffness
Swimming is considered a great form of therapy to alleviate stress. It tends to reduce pain and stiffness in joints, especially with those struggling with musculoskeletal problems such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, reduced mobility for other reasons, etc. The buoyancy of the water provides the required support and resistance to carry out aquatic activities in a low-impact setting. It is beneficial for pregnant ladies as well since it brings relief to the joints and muscle pain often endured during pregnancy.
Improved Cardiovascular Health
Your cardiovascular health talks about the health of your heart and the blood vessels it uses to supply blood to every nook and corner. One of the health benefits of swimming is better heart health. A study performed on 43 people suffering from pre or stage-one hypertension showed lowered blood pressure after 12 weeks of swimming sessions.
Cardiovascular exercises improve the efficiency of the lungs and heart, reduce cholesterol levels, and the risk of stroke and heart diseases, to name a few. It is also linked to improved vascular stiffness as well as improved blood flow to the brain.
Tones Muscles
The benefits of Swimming exercise often include similarities to a total body workout. Depending upon which strokes you are using, it targets specific muscles that help engage them in specific patterns. For instance, butterfly strokes involve biceps, shoulders, and triceps while a backstroke involves pecs, glutes, and thighs.
Regular swimming has been linked to longevity as well as per a 2017 report by Swim England where the participants were found to have 41% lower risk of death due to heart diseases and 28% lower risk of early death.
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Mental Well-being
One of the benefits of swimming is the fact that it sharpens your mind. It improves motor and coordination skills, cognitive functions, and overall mental health as it helps combat depression, stress, and anxiety to a greater degree.
A study published in NCBI with 700 participants found that outdoor swimming is associated with reduced symptoms of poor mental health. It can be relaxing and exhibits a meditative effect on the body.
Boosts Your Mood
Every form of exercise is a mood booster for sure. However, swimming is considered one of the aquatic aerobic activities that help boost one’s mood thanks to the release of happiness chemicals in the brain such as dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. A 2003 study published In the Journal of Psychology found the same.
Supports Healthy Ageing
Swimming exercise benefits include acting as a support against ageing effects. For instance, a study revolving around women at menopause saw a positive effect on their bone health. It could potentially stall conditions such as osteoporosis for women who haven’t entered their menopausal stage yet.
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Improves Lung Capacity and Efficiency
Your lungs are a critical part of your bodily functions. Without it, you won’t be able to perform essential functions such as breathing and exchange of gases as a part of both respiratory and pulmonary systems that work in tandem with the heart to oxygenate blood and remove carbon dioxide from it.
One of the health benefits of swimming involves breathing control and teaches rhythmic breathing that helps increase lung capacity and efficiency of breathing. Since swimmers are required to take deep breaths and in a highly controlled manner, it also enhances the body’s ability to use oxygen efficiently. Ultimately, it improves performance in aerobic activities such as running as well.
Conclusion
Swimming torches calories, spikes your endurance and benefits the entire body which is why it is considered as one of the best aerobic exercises often included in specialised plans. There are a tonne of health benefits of swimming including better heart health, mental well-being, and mood booster to name a few.
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Disclaimer: The content of this article is compiled information from generic and public sources. It is in no way a substitute, suggestion, or advice for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. BeatoApp does not claim responsibility for this information.
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