carolin randan

What's Good About Swimming?

Swimming is good exercise (that's obvious). Swimming is a lifetime sport that benefits the body and the whole person! But what is it that makes swimming good, specifically? That depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

Swimming is a healthy activity that can be continued for a lifetime. The health benefits swimming offers are worth the effort it takes to get to the swimming pool, get into your swimsuit, and then get into the pool and swim. If you do not know how to swim, taking swimming lessons or teaching yourself how to swim better are great ways to help you to enjoy fitness swimming.

Swimming works practically all of the muscles in the body (if you do a variety of strokes). Swimming can develop a swimmer's general strength, cardiovascular fitness and endurance. It does not help with bone density - you need to weight bearing exercise for that - but that is about all that is missing from what swimming could do for your fitness.

Why do you swim? For the health benefits to your heart and lungs? For the chance to be with some of your friends at the pool? Because, in your case, running every day hurts? Because you like the feeling of floating and sliding through the water? Or is it something else? If you are looking for a break from the heat of the summer, then a dip in the water is exactly what you need; swimming is a way for you to cool off. It fills a wonderful recreational need for individuals and families, from beach and pool fun to water parks.

Regular swimming builds endurance, muscle strength and cardio-vascular fitness. It can serve as a cross-training element to your regular workouts. Before a dry land workout, you can use the pool for a warm-up session. Swimming with increasing effort to gradually increase your heart rate and stimulate your muscle activity is easily accomplished in the water. After a land workout, swimming a few laps can help you cool-down, move blood through your muscles to help them recover, and help you relax as you glide through the water.