Going from an Olympic sport to a universal pastime, swimming is not America’s fourth most popular activity for no reason. In fact, swimming is one of the best workouts you can get as it strengthens all muscles in your body simultaneously.
A great workout
The best part about swimming is that water resistance forces you to move your whole body, using almost all your muscles. Instead of using free weights to build strength, you can easily tone your muscles dealing with water resistance.
Swimming keeps your heart rate up and helps build endurance and cardiovascular fitness. Therefore, you end up with a healthy heart and healthy lungs.
Different types of strokes can be included in a swimming workout, such as breaststrokes, backstrokes, sidestrokes, the butterfly, and – of course – freestyle! Each of the following strokes focuses on distinct muscle groups. Thence, for a full workout, it’s a good idea to be creative and not strictly stick with the familiar front crawl, which ignores a great number of muscles in your body.
A better you
Moreover, not only is swimming beneficial for your muscles, it also provides a healthy physique and a better posture. That you may wish to lose weight or not, adding some swimming to your weekly routine will definitely improve your physical – and mental – shape.
As swimming forces you to straighten your body all the time, the exercise increases your back strength. Having a strong back then helps you keep a straight posture, and consequently, become more confident.
Nevertheless, besides from all the physical advantages, swimming has many other benefits that can directly affect your mood and lifestyle. First, especially when done recreationally, swimming is undoubtedly a relaxing and peaceful form of exercise. Therefore, adding a short swim to your weekly schedule can strongly alleviate your stress, and enlighten your day.
Why not?!
All in all, swimming is an individual sport that has countless benefits. Along with being a great way to keep fit, have fun and deal with stress, swimming also improves coordination, balance and, as previously mentioned, posture. It can also improve your sleep and boost your mood considerably.
Swimming is an ageless activity that can be practiced for a lifetime. It strongly affects both your physical and mental health and is easily addable to your weekly schedule. A short swim now and them can make a real difference in how you feel!