HEALTH TIPS & GUIDES

Swimming: A Complete Body Workout

Since past times, swimming has been a popular sport and has been considered to be the best recreational activity. It has been found out from the various paintings of the cave men, that who lived in the stone age, followed swimming as a ritual ever since then swimming has been a part of various civilizations, either in a ritualistic form or as a sport, and thus it is believed that even our ancestors understood the benefits of swimming in regard to enhancing stamina and improving strength. It is unsure that whether they could fully comprehend all the benefits of swimming then or not, but now for sure we know a lot of benefits that swimming empowers us with. A few of them have been listed below and hold true for people of all ages and different fitness levels:

Benefits Of Swimming:-

1. Swimming acts as a complete body workout. This is because while swimming one uses practically a major group of his/her muscles. While swimming one needs to move against water and the water resistance offered is more than the air resistance and so while swimming one need to move against a higher force and this helps in toning up of the legs, shoulders and arms.

2. Swimming enhances the cardio vascular fitness of the body. It is the best workout to do so, as it enhances the circulation in the body without putting any stress on the heart. Once an individual is in water, his/her heart beat decreases by 10 beats/ minute. The reason maybe a lower body temperature under water, or a less gravitational pull experienced under water, but it results in a better circulatory system.

3. Swimming prevents injuries. Inside water the body weight of an individual is one tenth of that on land. Thus when under water the buoyant force available reduces the stress on bones and joints and thus ensures a safe exercise. Thus swimming ensures a minimum risk of injury as compared to the injury risk involved with exercise on land.

4. Swimming is a very low impact workout, and thus it even benefits those who cannot benefit from the regular exercises. People who are recovering from their prior injuries can swim easily. Pregnant women who cannot do regular aerobics can stay fit by swimming. Elderly people and people who are overweight and those who cannot regularly do exercises can easily reap the benefits out of swimming.