There has been a lot of times where I have faced the question: what is the best exercise to maintain an overall health and wellness? Well, even though there is not really one gold standard exercise that works for everyone but I can dare say that there might be an exercise which if preformed appropriately, the benefits are wonders!
Yes, you’ve guessed it right….it is swimming! 🙂
Here is a general overview of some of the benefits of swimming:
Stress Relief
- Swimming is an exercise where the psychological benefits are gained instantly. For some individuals it as soon as they glance at the water it gives them joy and relieves their tension. For others it may be as soon as they get in the water and throughout their swimming experience. Swimming is a workout where through the rhythmic patterns of strokes, deep breathing, concentration, focus and coordination helps you loosen your mind and body from stressful aspects of your life.
Total Body Workout
- I’m sure my previous students would agree on this subject :-D. Swimming is a true total body workout! While swimming, you use a lot of muscles to propel yourself forward in water – some of the muscle in which you had no idea it existed until the following day after swimming 😉 . It is a great aerobic exercise where it not only increases your muscle strength but also increases the heart rate and is a great exercise for the heart.
Weight Loss
- The topic that the majority of people are looking for is that they want an exercise in which they can effectively lose weight. Although I believe that losing weight should be in moderation, however, swimming can help you tremendously if you’re goal is weight loss. Since a lot of muscles are working hard to propel you forward, you’re using a lot of energy to do so. If swimming is done in combination with a healthy diet, your results of weight loss will be maximized.
Chronic Illness
- Â Because of the nature of water and its buoyancy effects, being in the water can reduce the stress on your joints while gaining muscle strength, flexibility, and range of motion. Swimming can be beneficial for multiple chronic illnesses. To name a few, swimming is a great exercise for people suffering from osteoporosis, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and cardiovascular diseases. Swimming also increases the overall quality of life by reducing chances of diabetes, obesity, depression, and hypertension.
To sum it all up, swimming = an overall great exercise! So take advantage of swimming opportunities around your community, spread the word, and minimize health diseases in our community by participating in swimming! 🙂