How is swimming favorable for your mental and physical health, 8 surprising health benefits

Swimming is beneficial for people of all ages. From helping you to get your desired body or keep up with your mental health this vital form of exercise keeps your muscles strong and flexible. One should continue this aerobic exercise throughout their life until their health permits as it includes long exercise time, requiring a constant oxygen supply to the muscles, except for short sprints where the muscles work anaerobically. Furthermore, swimming can help tone and strengthen muscles.Many times swimming is used to rehabilitate injuries, especially various cardiovascular and muscle injuries. A proven fact that it allows sufferers of arthritis to exercise affected joints without worsening their symptoms. Many doctors recommended new mothers and pregnant women to do swimming in order to cope with the stress and improve mental health.

Here are 8 surprising ways swimming benefits your body.

Swimming requires the self-propulsion of the body through water, including the coordinated movement of the limbs and the body. It engages every major muscle group requiring a constant oxygen supply. Hence this provides a whole body workout ultimately helping to;

• increase heart rate without putting stress on the body,
• improve strength,
• toning muscles,
• enhancing fitness,
• and helping to manage weight.

Being an aerobic exercise it predominantly involves heart, lungs, and circulatory system. By directly lowering the blood pressure and heart rate, it helps to build cardio strength.

Water provides a low-impact exercise environment, which is ideal for people who need a joint-friendly workout. People recovering from an injury, or have limitations due to years of wear and tear, or the people who are overweight can find water exercise the easiest and safest form of exercise. Hence a person with bone disorder or a joint injury may find swimming a suitable exercise, as the buoyancy of water reduces stress on weight bearing joints.

Swimming is accessible to disabled people as it provides resistance and support to the person while exercising. Hence it can be practiced by elderly people as well in order to maintain quality of life and decrease disability. It also improves or maintains the bone health of post-menopausal women.

Swimming is a recommended form of exercise for both pregnant women as well as the new mothers .

Being overweight during the pregnancy period can cause joint and muscle pain. Swimming is especially popular with pregnant people because the water can support this weight.

However, it is always a good idea to consult a doctor when trying a new form of activity during pregnancy.

Many pregnant women undergo a lot of stress and mood swing problems, since swimming improves mood it can be practiced for a better mental health.

Due to extreme involvement of muscle movement. It leads to an increased amount of cell activity in order to fulfill the increased energy levels. However, the amount of calories burned depends on a person’s weight and how vigorously they swim.

A study proved that swimming three times per week improved glucose (sugar) control and insulin sensitivity. It also highlighted that a low volume, high intensity intermittent swimming was more beneficial than swimming at low intensity for 1 hour.

In addition to improving cardiac health, swimming increases lung capacity and improves the ability to control breathing. Moreover the humid air of indoor pools may also help improve asthma symptoms.

But it’s important to note that the disinfectants or the chemicals like chlorine used for the pool management, acts as an airway irritant and can worsen the asthma symptoms.