Benefits of Swimming

What are the major benefits of swimming?

Have you ever considered swimming? It is one of the best workouts you can do for your body. There are many reasons why swimming is a good choice for you. Let's talk about 5 of our favorite benefits to swimming!

1. Cardio AND strength training.

If you are anything like me, then you know there is nothing much worse than cardio! (If you don't agree with that statement, I'm judging you. Just kidding... kind of.) The thought of running for miles both bores me and makes me want to clean my whole house first just to avoid it. But... I LOVE swimming! I always have. When I found out that swimming is both a cardio workout and strength training workout, I felt like there was hope for me to get into the shape I wanted to be in! Of course, a swimming workout looks a little different than the swimming I loved and was used to as a kid... but it's not near as bad as running in my book.

2. Great for your lungs.

Now we know that swimming gets your heart rate up and it's good cardio. Did you know that it helps your lungs in another way as well? When you submerge yourself underwater and hold your breath, your body naturally starts to use oxygen more and release carbon dioxide better with every breath. Thus, increasing the efficiency of your lungs. How cool is that?

3. Perfect workout for ANYONE.

To me... This is the BEST perk of swimming! Swimming is great for: children (as young as 18 months old or when they start walking!), adults (as old as 70+), pregnant women and people with disabilities or injuries. The water is so buoyant and resistant that is is soft on any injury, disability or any other condition and it allows you to work your muscles without the weight or pressure on your bones and joints. It also decreases stress! You probably already know that any physical activity reduces stress, but swimming has an added benefit. When you are submerged under water it dulls the amount of sensory information your body receives. Thus making you more calm.

4. CALORIE BURNER

According to livestrong.com swimming is 4th on the list for the most calories burned exercise! Depending on your strokes used, a 155 pound person can burn between 370-410 calories per half hour. That's a lot of calories!  This also means you get to eat more when you swim. Your body needs the appropriate fuel for maximum performance. Just think... the more you swim, the more you get to eat and you still can lose some weight! That's magical.

5. It keeps you young. (Who doesn't love that!)

Maybe one of the most hidden, but coolest perk of swimming is that it keeps you looking younger! How am I just now figuring this one out? Researcher Joel Stager, PhD conducted a research on 200 swimmers. Stager found that although they were 50 years-old, they had the psychological function of someone 20 years younger. That is remarkable! 

After seeing all of these statistics, I think I'm goin to sign off here and go swim... I've got some calories to burn and years to chop off! 

Just Keep Swimming...