Did you know that swimming burns about the same amount of calories as jogging? Discover all the benefits of this sport in this article. Read the text and then get into the water!
Swimming is a sport that is really fun, and is suitable for losing weight and toning the whole body at the same time. Moreover, like any form of physical activity, swimming has its health benefits. Do you need more arguments to jump into the water?
No problem, we’ll give you that too!
Swimming is good for health
Improves heart function
Once you learn to swim, it’s like riding a bike. You never unlearn it and additionally, it doesn’t strain your body at all. Nevertheless, it requires the involvement of all muscles, including the most important one in our body – the heart muscle.
So, when you swim at a fast pace, you’re doing a good endurance exercise that affects your heart health just as positively as running. Swimming improves blood circulation, and reduces the likelihood of developing high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes.
Reduce stress and relax
Swimming is a particularly good anti-stress therapy. Take all your anger, frustration and bad mood into the water and swim to distract yourself and let off steam. By the end of a good swim session, you’ll be so exhausted that you won’t have the energy to get upset.
Improves your sex life
Swimming keeps your fitness and endurance at a high level and increases your mobility. It is also believed to increase testosterone and estrogen levels. Swimming burns calories, so you’ll feel sexy with a toned and slimmer line.
More tips to improve your sex life can be found here.
Helps with leg problems and back pain
Unlike other sports activities, the amount of effort you put into your muscles while swimming is much less. Therefore, recreational swimming is a good choice for all people, including those who have problems with back pain. Moreover, swimming movements synchronously engage almost all the main muscles in the body, and such movements are pleasant for the back.
Improves lung health
Thanks to the humidity, swimming relieves asthma and increases the capacity of the lungs. The lungs work harder and this improves their capacity. This was confirmed by research on asthmatic children who were in a swimming program for six years, and their breathing problems decreased significantly after only one year.
Swimming is both cardio training and strength training
If you don’t keep moving while swimming, you’ll sink. This turns swimming into a cardio workout. As well as that, water is about 800 times thicker than air, so your muscles are exposed to constant resistance. So when it comes to swimming, you don’t have to decide whether you want to do cardio or strength training. Swimming encompasses both.
Swimming doesn’t put a heavy load on muscles and joints
Swimming is a great workout for athletes who need to take care of their joints. You can swim properly almost every day without feeling your body wear out. Research in the International Journal of Sports Medicine shows that swimming is better than resting when you want to relax.
Rejuvenates
According to researchers at Indiana University, swimmers are biologically 20 years younger than their peers. Scientists say that swimming up to the age of 70 affects blood pressure, cholesterol levels, cardiovascular performance, central nervous system health, cognitive function, muscle mass and blood chemistry, all whilst making the whole organism younger.
Make yourselves smarter
Blood flow to the brain increases by up to 14% in water. The researchers believe that the water pressure in the chest cavity may have something to do with this, and are now investigating whether exercising with water improves blood flow to the brain more effectively than any other activity.
Reduces the risk of diabetes
Swimming 30 minutes once a week reduces your risk of stroke and type 2 diabetes. Even if you have type 1 diabetes, swimming helps increase your insulin sensitivity. In addition, this activity lowers blood pressure, so people with high blood pressure are advised to swim at a moderate pace.
Ideal for pregnant women and babies
Swimming is also ideal for pregnant women, as it does not stress the joints and abdomen. As it strengthens the heart, it improves the flow of oxygen through the blood – which is very good for both pregnant women and babies. By the way, water reduces swelling of the joints during pregnancy, which is a big problem for pregnant women in the summer.
Summer is the time when most of us enjoy this kind of recreation, although it would be ideal to swim regularly throughout the year. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. So when you go to the sea, swim as much as possible and take advantage of all the benefits.
Advantages of swimming in the sea
Sea water works wonders for health and beauty. Read here why.
Swimming is very good for your health, whether you swim in fresh or salt water. However, unlike the chlorine-enriched pool, seawater has additional benefits:
Strengthens the immune system
Some studies conducted in the Czech Republic have shown that people who swim regularly, at least three times a week for example, have a higher number of white blood cells, which are important in the fight against infections. Sea water is salty because of the presence of certain minerals, amino acids and microorganisms that strengthen our immune system and act against bacteria and fungi.
Swimming in the sea opens the pores on the skin, helping to get toxins out of the body.
Affects overall health and healing
Sea water is rich in magnesium, which influences muscle relaxation. This reduces tension and muscle pain, relieves stress and helps you recover.
Beautifies the skin and accelerates wound healing
Swimming in the sea helps maintain skin hydration and wound healing. It has also been shown that this treatment is excellent for people who have skin problems such as redness and pimples on the face.
Swimming burns calories
Any activity you do burns calories, even if it’s walking the dog or cleaning the house. How many calories swimming burns depends on the intensity of the exercise, but the average is about 600 calories per hour. Running or biking will burn about the same amount of calories. The higher the speed, the better the results.
Although swimming consumes calories, it turns out that the effects of this consumption are not as quickly visible as in other activities. The reason for this may be the coldness of the water, which removes most of the body heat, and the result is an increased appetite after exercise.
After a hard workout, the best way to feed your muscles is with proteins, as they are necessary for muscle growth. When hunger is unstoppable, instead of snacks and pasta, reach for a piece of white chicken or a glass of milk.
Swimming has been shown to promote weight loss
Scientists have measured the waist and hip circumference of swimmers and non-swimmers, and it was shown that this can be one of the ways to get rid of annoying belly fat.
As with running or cycling, interval training is the best way to burn calories while swimming. This means that you should combine slower and faster movements, instead of immediately starting with all your strength and giving up after 10 minutes because you are already too tired.
Interval training is more interesting, especially when different swimming styles are involved. It can definitely force you to stay active in the workout for an hour – active and not sitting on the sidelines or in the shallows.
How do I perform interval swim training?
When in a lake, determine the distance that separates you from a boat, rock, or buoy, or swim the length of the pool. Swim with full power in one direction, and then slowly and relaxed on the way back. Combine all swimming styles and you will make a good workout that tones the whole body.
Different swimming styles shape the whole body
If you have chosen to bathe in water to burn excess calories, you are surely wondering if you can gain muscle mass and a perfectly sculpted body with such a workout.
The answer is both “yes” and “no.”
The muscles you develop depend on the techniques you use while moving through the water. Different styles target different parts of the body. Of course, the arms and shoulders develop the most.
- Backstroke is ideal for strengthening the back, but also for the leg and rear leg muscles, which work through leg movements.
- The butterfly style is the most demanding and uses the muscles of the abdomen and midsection of the body. They are needed to come out of the water and make a swinging motion with the arms. This swimming technique also activates the muscles of the lower back and buttocks, which are activated when you use your legs during the butterfly style.
- Crawl activates the muscles of the arms, shoulders and back the most, while the legs are less activated.
- Normal swimming uses the arm and leg muscles simultaneously and with the same intensity.
- Dolphin is a swimming technique that allows you to burn the most calories. It accelerates metabolism, strengthens the core, shapes the muscles of the chest, shoulders and back, but also increases strength and explosiveness.
How do I get the best results in swimming?
Proper hydration and nutrition are an essential part of training. Many beginners make the mistake of thinking that because they don’t sweat in the pool, they don’t need hydration. The body also loses fluid while swimming and needs hydration.
If you are a beginner, proper nutrition can help you develop strength and cardio skills faster. The main fuel is carbohydrates. You should eat two to four hours before swimming and have smaller meals 30 minutes before your workout.
Now you should have enough reasons to jump in the water and work out, not only in the summer!