The benefits of swimming for your health

You will have heard a thousand times that swimming is ideal for health with Lifeguard recertification: good for the back, not very aggressive with your joints, a way to train the whole body, suitable for all kinds of people... And yes, its fame is more than justified due to its benefits and, above all, how easy it is to achieve good results without much effort.

Unlike many other sports, swimming is  recommended for everyone  regardless of age or physical condition. It is a sport in which learning is very simple and the risk of injury is low, this is because swimming  does not affect the joints as other exercises do,  since by floating the body's own weight does not fall on they. But what exactly can swimming benefit you? Why is it a good idea to opt for this sport if you are looking for a way to get in shape? Do not miss this article!

Health benefits of swimming

Swimming is the endurance activity par excellence. And it is because it forces you to move continuously. And it is that whether you advance or remain suspended in the water, you are in continuous movement, so  aerobic exercise is constantly performed, which is beneficial for the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

Thus, on the one hand, the heart is gently exercised (there are no sudden movements in the water) and  the circulation of blood located, especially in the legs, is favored,  thanks to the alternation of muscle contractions and deconstructions. In addition, in the pool or in the sea, if the horizontal position is added, the coolness and pressure of the water exert an important drainage action. So goodbye to edema and heavy legs.

On the other hand, being aerobic exercise,  breathing is improved , especially when you have been training for a while. This is because we strengthen the muscles that are responsible for filling and emptying the lungs of air, so that more and more air can be taken in a single inspiration and, therefore, we optimize the use of our lungs, making breathing more efficient.

,  it is worth highlighting its multiple benefits on the body both to prevent injuries and to treat them. With swimming, practically all the muscles are strengthened, which has repercussions, for example, in a better body posture and in the prevention of back pain. It is also beneficial for the joints, since we exercise tendons and ligaments, which increases flexibility and, ultimately, quality of life.

Benefits of swimming for the mind

As we have been saying, due to its health benefits, swimming improves the quality of life and, therefore, our self-esteem increases. In addition, like all sports,  swimming secretes endorphins, known as pleasure hormones, which after a few minutes of effort, cause a natural feeling of happiness.  On the other hand, and this is more obvious, by practicing swimming on a regular basis, physical changes begin to be noticed soon and, therefore, you will see yourself better and that also gives you a plus of happiness.

If we talk about swimming more specifically, it has been shown that contact with water in a pool is associated with fun and, therefore, reduces stress. In addition, it is an excellent sport to meet people, expand your social circle and, seeing people with imperfect bodies, it also helps reduce complexes.

Benefits of swimming for the figure

Through swimming we exercise  the whole body,  we work the legs, arms, torso and hips. However, the upper body is the area that is strengthened the most since most of the exercise is concentrated on the  triceps, lats, pectorals and back muscles.  If you want to know what the benefits of swimming are for the figure, you should keep in mind that these will depend on the  style of swimming that we do.

Front crawl and back.

 These modalities make  the arms work and push underwater,  but we must also  keep the body firm  above the water, so we not only exercise the biceps, triceps and deltoids, we also strengthen the glutes, intercostals, abdominals and pectorals. The footwork in these styles is fast so we'll tone the  quads and hamstrings  and, to a lesser degree, the calf and foot muscles.

Breaststroke and butterfly. 

These two styles require raising the head from the water to breathe, which is why the power of the movement is found in the  arms and legs.  These modalities work the pectorals, deltoids, and biceps in the  upper body,  and the quads and hamstrings in the  lower body.  The difference between these styles with respect to the others lies in the  force used in the movement,  which requires  more energy and power to raise the body towards the surface.

Other disciplines. In addition to the modalities of swimming, in recent years, new ways of combining aerobic exercise with the benefits of water sports have emerged. Two examples of this are:  aqua biking  (spinning in the water) and  aqua gym.

A sport suitable for everyone

One of its strong points is that swimming is an ideal sport for everyone of universal lifeguard certificate, especially for those  more delicate population groups  such as pregnant women, babies or the elderly. It is also recommended for people suffering from diseases such as  scoliosis  (or any back problem) and  asthma.  It is important to choose the swimming style that best suits our abilities, but whatever it is, there is no excuse  not to jump into the water.