Now that the weather is turning colder, many of us may not think to go to the pool for our next workout. However, swimming is an extremely beneficial exercise and is a perfect workout for all year long. Here are 5 reasons why you should swim more.
- Calorie Burner
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Swimming is one of the most efficient ways to burn calories. According to the mayo clinic, a 160 lb person can burn 423 calories in an hour by swimming at a moderate pace. That’s compared to 292 calories burned from biking and 365 from using an elliptical during the same time period.
- Full-Body Workout
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There’s no such thing as a leg or arm day with swimming because swimming uses muscles throughout the body. It builds your muscle strength and endurance, without being hard on your muscles or joints. This makes it a great workout for people of all age groups.
- Improves Mental Well-Being
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Studies have shown that swimming, along with other forms of exercise, has the ability to greatly improve an individual’s mood. It can also lower stress levels quickly and improves the quality of sleep.
- Offers Variety
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There are four different swimming strokes: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. Incorporating these four strokes into your workout can offer you great variety. Many swimmers also like to use kickboards or pull buoys to focus on improving different aspects of the stroke. There are a million different ways to keep swimming interesting. Some great workouts can be found on Xavier University’s Recreational Sports website which can be accessed here. https://www.xavier.edu/recreational-sports/aquatics/index
- Safer Option During Covid
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During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many have questioned the safeness of going to the gym. However, swimming at the pool may be a safer option compared to the regular gym because chlorine kills Covid. Additionally, many pools, including the HUB, have policies to help stop the spread of Covid. These include reducing the number of swimmers to one per lane and requiring swimmers to wear a mask when not actively swimming.
Make a visit to your local pool to see the benefits of swimming for yourself. Happy Swimming!