6 Health Benefits of Swimming

Swimming is a fantastic, well-rounded activity—regardless of age, fitness level, or experience in the pool. It can keep you fit and healthy (only swim within your capability range) and also aid injury prevention and rehabilitation. And as a low-impact activity, it’s easy on the joints—a bonus for many with recurring injuries and arthritis.

It’s also easy to get into. You can swim in a pool or open water (if available). All you need is a swimsuit, goggles, and a swim cap if desired. If you are new to swimming, your local pool will offer swimming lessons to get you started. Oftentimes, you can find lap times at these facilities as well.

So, should you try swimming as your go-to cardio? In this article, we explore the benefits of swimming. Let’s find out if it’s right for you!

Health Benefits of Swimming

There are many ways that swimming can improve your overall health. Some of its benefits include the following.

1.   Reduces Joint Pain

When swimming, the water weight allows you to create motion in the joints and keep your muscles stimulated in a low-impact way. This allows for synovial fluid to be produced, which decreases friction. In turn, this can reduce pain and stiffness, such as that caused by arthritis or injury.

If you experience discomfort in your joints when doing high-impact activities like running, cycling, or going to gym class, swimming is further a great alternative. Studies show that those with osteoarthritis have improvements in stiffness and joint pain when they swim for three days a week for 45 minutes.

2. Improves Cardiovascular Fitness

If you’ve ever done it before, you’ll be well aware that swimming laps increases your breathing and heart rate. Thus, by giving your heart and lungs a workout, swimming can up-level your endurance. Additionally, it can help reduce your risk of experiencing chronic and life-threatening illnesses, such as heart disease or stroke.

3.   Enhances Flexibility and Mobility

As you swim, your whole body stretches, and your muscles lengthen. This improves flexibility and mobility of the joints and ligaments. The more flexible and mobile you become, the better your posture, muscle force, and range of motion. And this can make living life more enjoyable as you can do daily tasks with more ease and less pain!

4.   Elevates Mental Well-Being

Swimming can be an energising total body workout that releases pent-up energy and feel-good endorphins. It can also be a nourishing movement practice where the mind calms as you skim through the water. In fact, some consider it a form of meditation.

Research has even shown that 55% of people said spending time near bodies of water improves their mood and mental health. In other words, there’s nothing but good news for your mental health when it comes to swimming a few strokes!

5.   Enhances Coordination and Balance

The repetitive movements of your arms and legs while swimming improve muscle and hand-eye coordination. Inevitably, as you swim, you also engage your core. This can, in turn, promote proper balance and body alignment—something that becomes increasingly important as we age.

6. May Promote Weight Loss

Swimming burns calories that support weight loss and weight maintenance. However, the amount of calories burnt will depend on how vigorously you swim and what strokes you do. On average, doing 30 minutes of the butterfly burns around 450 calories.

Other evidence indicates that swimming burns about 40% more calories than the bike. In other words, if you’re stuck choosing between the two, swimming might be the best choice for weight maintenance or weight loss.

At the same time, it’s important to note that weight loss comes down to building sustainable and healthy habits. This goes beyond exercise. A healthy diet, proper sleep, reduced stress, and more can go a long way toward achieving your weight loss goals.

Should You Start Swimming?

Whether you want to swim recreationally or for rehabilitative purposes, you will reap the rewards of swimming by having a consistent routine.

If you are interested in swimming in conjunction with chiropractic care, our team at Chatfield Chiropractic can support you and your goals. Book your appointment with us today!

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