Introduction
According to Dr Richard Nahas, swimming is a type of exercise that is suitable for people of all age groups. In fact, children can learn to swim under the supervision of adults from an early age and develop a fit and athletic body as they grow up. It is also a very efficient way to burn calories without risking damage to your bones and joints.
The Benefits
Here are a few benefits of swimming:
1. It provides a whole-body workout – Swimming is one of the few exercises that help to engage almost all the major muscle groups in your body since it requires you to move your arms, legs, stomach, and torso. Thus, it provides a whole-body workout.
It also helps to build endurance, tone your muscles, manage your weight, increase your heart rate without putting stress, build strength, and improve your overall fitness. You can practice various types of swimming strokes to focus on developing certain muscle groups in your body. Some of the popular swimming strokes include
2. It is suitable for people with arthritis, injuries, and other conditions – Swimming is a low-impact activity due to the buoyancy of water. As a result, it is the perfect whole-body exercise for people who suffer from arthritis, joint injuries, disability, and other conditions that prevent them from doing high-impact exercises.
According to a study, swimming can even help in the recovery of people who suffer from osteoarthritis or joint problems and reduce their pain over time.
3. It boosts your cardiovascular strength – Swimming is a cardiovascular exercise that involves your heart, circulatory system, and lungs and helps to keep them in excellent condition, as long as you don’t have a family history of cardiovascular disease, smoke, drink alcohol, or suffer from any other heart condition.
According to a study, people who swim regularly have about 50% lower all-cause mortality risk than people who live a sedentary lifestyle. Swimming also helps to lower blood pressure and reduce your blood sugar levels.
4. It helps to improve lung capacity – Swimming is a fantastic activity to help you improve your breath control since you have to practice many exercises associated with the sport such as holding your breath which helps to improve your lung capacity.
Also, since indoor pools have a humid environment, swimming is suitable for people with asthma. However, people who suffer from asthma should swim in salt water since chlorine and other chemicals used in pools can increase the risk of asthma.
5. It helps to burn calories – Just like any other exercise, swimming also helps to burn calories. The only difference is that it is a low-impact activity that doesn’t hurt your joints and can be performed by people of all ages. The number of calories you burn per hour will depend on your weight and the intensity of the swimming session.
Conclusion
Dr Richard Nahas suggests you join a swimming class to boost your mood and manage your stress levels. In fact, swimming is also a great exercise for older adults who have trouble falling asleep at night since it is more accessible.