Tough workout? Cool down with a splash

Suruchi Kapur GomesSportspersons Andy Murray, Naomi Osaka, and many other athletes love a dip in the water after their game. "For many, swimming is a cool down that benefits soreness, inflammation, and strain. It rejuvenates and helps muscle recovery, and, wait for it… improves performance," claim atheletes.

Former national swimmer from Bengaluru, Anusuya Alva, 50, swims thrice a week to restore balance.The only Indian to win a medal in an international triathlon (Asia Championships), she cycles 80 km on other days.
“Swimming is the best form of active recovery,” says Anusuya, who represented India in the triathlon world championships in the early 90s. It promotes good lung capacity, diverse muscle use, and is a fantastic no-impact workout.

According to a study in the International Journal of Sports Medicine, athletes who hit the pool after strenuous training were able to sustain longer periods of training since active recovery speeds up the removal of blood lactate. It’s a fitness formula that can see you exercising till 90!
Anand Shanker, team lead, physiotherapy, at a Bengaluru-based hospital recommends swimming thrice a week, even if it’s just floating in water. “When you work out, the body generates heat. A dip helps the skin hydrate, cool down, and muscles get actively stretched.”

For Arjun Goutham, a breathwork and mindfulness facilitator, swimming helps in decompressing, promoting ligament and joint health. “When we push ourselves, we compress muscles, build lactic acid and toxins. In the pool, these toxins are flushed out,” he explains.
Beyond the endorphin high, tennis novice Malathi Verugunta started swimming to address knee pain, and today, she is painfree.
--Suruchi Kapur Gomes