Six Ways Swimming Can Improve Your Body

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Swimming is a good exercise option for people of all ages and fitness levels—even those with disabilities or chronic pain. When you’re in the water, your bones and joints don’t bear all your weight. The vigorous movement of swimming places stress not on your weight-bearing joints but on your muscles.

Strength
While swimming is low impact, it’s still a great way to get strong because swimmers use major muscle groups in both the upper and lower body. And water offers 12 times more resistance than air, forcing swimmers’ muscles to work harder.

Endurance
Muscular strength alone is not the same as overall fitness. Water exercise, though, can build both strength and cardiovascular endurance. Swimming develops muscle strength through water resistance and raises cardiovascular endurance through aerobic activity.

Flexibility
Swimming, in tandem with good stretching, can boost flexibility and range of motion. Water’s buoyancy, resistance and temperature encourage muscle flexibility, and the smooth movements of swimming tend to stretch and lengthen muscles.

Weight management
Regular, calorie-burning exercise is key to successful weight management. People weighing 150 pounds can burn about 400 to 700 calories per hour while swimming, depending on their activity level. Frequent, regular swimming can speed metabolism, lower body fat and improve the body’s ability to burn fat.

Cardiovascular health
Because swimming uses so many muscles and your body is working against water resistance, even a low-key water workout can elevate your heart rate. When you’re swimming, your heart, lungs and circulatory system go all out to deliver oxygen and energy to each of your moving parts.

Overall toning
Olympic swimmers have terrific physiques. Years of training in the water have given them long, lean bodies with toned muscles. Swimming is the perfect sport for anyone who wants to feel fit and healthy—and look it.

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Swimming gaining in popularity as a cardiovascular mainstay

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As more people make the commitment to exercise regularly, swimming has proven to be a viable option for those wishing to avoid the aches and pains that accompany running and other high impact exercises.
When people begin their exercise regimes, they may be horribly out of shape, and significantly overweight. A 400 pound man, can’t expect to run multiple miles, and in some cases might be limited to walking very short distances.
Swimming is a way to get started exercising without the typical pain in the ankles and knees that sometimes stop the exerciser before they really get started. There is nothing worse than starting an exercise routine, only to be so stiff and sore after day one that all the goals and hopes of a healthy lifestyle are washed away before they are really given a chance
The benefits of swimming are not limited to just the obese or a beginning exercise enthusiast. Even high-level runners sometimes substitute swimming into their normal routines, to cut down on mileage and wear on the body. Swimming allows the body to dig into its cardiovascular reserves, without putting excess stress on the feet, ankles and knees.
Finding a place to swim may not be as difficult as you think. Many gyms in metropolitan areas include usage of the pool in their normal monthly fees. YMCA’s are typically equipped with swimming pools, and public pools often offer ‘adult-only’ swim nights for parents and other swimming enthusiasts who don’t want a pool full of hundreds of kids during their workout.
Ever hear of a swimmer getting hit by a car? Unlike runners and bikers that face trucks, SUV’s and other obstacles during their workouts, swimming provides a relatively stress free environment to improve one’s cardiovascular health.
For those looking at putting variety into their routines, swimming, lifting weights and running or bike riding can provide a well rounded routine that keeps the body and mind fresh.

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Active for Life

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Most people know that being active is the key to staying healthy well into your senior years. It’s also widely known that as we age, our muscle mass begins to deteriorate, our joints stiffen and our bones become weaker and more frail. Taking up regular daily exercise can help stave off the effects aging has on the body and improve overall health and well being. And it can be fun.

Start simply by incorporating exercise into your daily routine. Go for a walk in the morning or evening, ride a bicycle down the street—whatever you do, the activity doesn’t have to be vigorous or strenuous in order for your body to receive the benefits of exercise. And no matter your physical condition, there’s an activity that’s right for you. Whether that means going to the gym and working out with a friend or personal trainer, or joining a sports team, exercise will keep you healthier and increase longevity.

According to the National Institute on Aging, whatever activity you choose, your focus should be on building up your endurance, strength, balance and flexibility. A sample workout plan might include a mix of stretching the muscles pre- and post-workout, along with walking and light weight lifting. Swimming is another great activity to incorporate into your workout. It not only satisfies helps increase strength, endurance, balance and flexibility, it’s great for burning a high amount of calories and it’s easy on the muscles, bones and joints.

After a few weeks of activity you will start to see benefits, including an increase in energy and strength. You may also being to notice that your getting more quality, restful sleep as your body is responding to the increase in physical activity and seeking ways to repair and restore itself for the next day.

Use common sense when taking up a new exercise routine and make sure to stay hydrated and take plenty of breaks. If it’s been a while since you’ve exerted yourself, make sure that you start gradually into a routine so that you can prevent injury. Also, talk to your physician before starting any activity.

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