They say swimming is the perfect exercise. After all, you can get all the benefits of an aerobic (cardio) workout without any detrimental effect on your joints and it is good for both the elderly and the youngest.
It is practiced by athletes to maintain strength and shape when recovering from injury, and there is no need for sophisticated equipment - just you and the water.
Swimming has a lot more benefits than the obvious ones; the improvements to the overall health are much deeper. So take a deep breath and immerse yourself in the 10 advantages of swimming:
1. Swimming improves the definition and strength of the muscles.
Swimmers build muscle in the whole body. Runners experience more muscle build-up in the legs while swimmers use more muscle groups to move in the water. As the legs kick, the arms pull. As the back is tilted and rotated, the stomach tightens to help the legs stabilize the core, making swimming one of the best aerobic exercises that makes a full body workout. Just look at Michael Phelps's physics, if you need some inspiration!
2. Swimming builds up bone mass.
For years, scientists have laughed at the idea that swimming affects bone mass. After all, only weight training can do that, right? Since there are ethical reasons for avoiding in-depth bone testing in humans, one study divides rats into three groups: running, swimming and a control group without physical exercise. While the tests show that the greatest increase in bone density is among the runners, the swimmers also demonstrate benefits over the control group in the bone structure. Although more research is needed, these new findings suggest that it is necessary to review previous studies that reject the benefits of swimming for bone mass.
3. Swimming helps you become more flexible.
Swimming requires you to stretch, twist and pull in the water. Your ankles are turned into fins and stretch with every expulsion while you push off against the water. This does not mean you do not have to stretch yourself out of the water, but the repeated stretching of the swimming helps with flexibility.
Expect part II very soon!