Whether you swim in lakes, oceans, or pools, it can be one of the most relaxing yet effective ways to exercise.
Many people opt for swimming as their chosen way to workout instead of running or cycling, which is not always suitable for those who are seeking something calmer and low-impact.
For optimal health and wellbeing, it is recommended to perform around 2-3 hours of moderate aerobic activity per week. This would be quite achievable for any swimming enthusiast!
While there are many benefits to fulfilling this physical activity recommendation, let’s take a look at the top 7 benefits of swimming specifically!
Top 7 Benefits of Swimming
1) Swimming Burns Calories
As we all know, any physical movement will result in calories being burnt for energy. So, it’s no surprise that swimming burns calories!
However, the typical duration and intensity of a swimming session would allow us to burn a substantial amount of calories, much like running for 45-60 minutes.
Swimming is a great choice of movement when you’re seeking increased daily calorie burn without feeling exhausted and burnt out afterward.
Experiment with different paces, lengths, and strokes, as these factors would also play a big part in the number of calories you burn!
2) Swimming Tones the Whole Body
One of the best things about swimming is the fact it works the entire body. This is what makes swimming so desirable, as you don’t have to do multiple exercise sessions in a week to work all of your muscles. You can simply do a swimming session and work most of your major muscle groups!
Not only are you working your arms and legs in most swimming strokes, but you’re also working muscle groups in your core and back.
A great option if you’re injured and are seeking a full-body workout without the high impact and intensity.
3) Swimming Can Lower Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is a serious health issue that can lead to several life-threatening problems. While diet and medication can help treat this issue should it arise, physical activity also plays a part in helping to reduce high blood pressure.
More specifically, swimming! It has been shown that swimming is invaluable for keeping your blood pressure in check and promoting longevity.
Though, it’s important to seek advice from your doctor if you have a cardiovascular-related condition before taking up swimming sessions.
This brings us nicely onto the next benefit!
4) Swimming Reduces Stress
Speaking of lowering blood pressure, this may also tie in with reducing stress levels. As we may know, exercise, in general, can boost your endorphins, otherwise known as your “feel-good hormones”. This is the explanation behind “runner’s high”!
While any physical activity can achieve this outcome, swimming has more to offer. Because of the mild sensory deprivation, swimming can be a more calming, relaxing, and stress-relieving activity than we may have thought.
Wearing nose plugs, earplugs, goggles, and generally only feeling water, our senses are somewhat reduced in many ways. This can have a major calming effect on the mind and body.
5) Swimming Regularly Helps Control Blood Sugar Levels
Completing a swimming session can have a positive effect on your blood sugar levels, like many forms of exercise can.
As swimming engages so many muscles in the body, more blood is being absorbed from our bloodstream into the working muscles to be used as energy.
What’s best about this benefit is that the effects can last up to a few days, not just the day of the session. So, jump in the pool and get swimming if you have spare sugars to use up!
Though it is worth noting that before swimming, or any other form of exercise, it is important to have enough sugar (or energy) in your system before you get going. If you start to feel dizzy, nauseous, or light-headed during your session, you may need to hop out and have a snack before continuing.
6) Swimming Can Improve Brain Health
Exercise, particularly swimming, can have several positive effects on your brain and cognition.
Swimming helps encourage the creation of new nerve cells in the hippocampus part of your brain, thus leading to improvements in memory and learning. Another reason why swimming is such a beneficial activity for the senior population.
7) Swimming Can Improve Sleep Quality
We have already mentioned that swimming helps produce more endorphins, our feel-good hormones. This would not only play a big role in improving mood, but it would also result in a more restful slumber.
So, not only would regular swimming help improve our mood, reduce our stress levels, and improve our cognitive function, it would also help improve sleep quality. These benefits all tie in together nicely when it comes to improving your overall health and wellbeing, physically and mentally!
Are There Any Downsides to Swimming Every Day?
As with any good thing, there are always downsides to consider. Though there are not just downsides to swimming every day, but also just exercising every day in general. To avoid injuries, it’s a good idea to incorporate rest days and active recovery sessions throughout the week to allow your body adequate time to recover optimally.
There is such a thing as too much of something, even the good stuff. So, it’s important to mix up your exercise routines and try different types of activity.
Regarding swimming specifically, there can be some negative effects associated with swimming too much. These include:
- Hair damage
- Skin irritation
- Chlorine rash
- Mild eye infections
- Swimmer’s ear
Other Low-Impact Activities
If the reason you want to swim so regularly is due to the low-impact nature of the activity, check out the following low-impact activities to incorporate into your routine, which all offer similar benefits to swimming!
Walking
Probably one of the most popular low-impact exercises, walking works the cardiovascular system and burns calories. You can adjust your pace, distance, and intensity depending on what you want to achieve.
Dancing
There is a dance style to suit everyone! This is a great option if you want to do something fun, creative, and low-impact.
Nordic walking
Nordic walking is a full-body, multi-joint activity that is suitable for all ages and abilities. Nordic working ranges from gentle walks to more challenging trails.
Trim trails
Trim trails are outdoor public areas that are equipped with machines designed to provide a gentle way to exercise certain parts of the body.
Yoga
Yoga is an excellent way to improve physical and mental wellbeing through performing a variety of postures and breathing exercises. It helps develop strength, flexibility, and balance, all while lifting your mood.
Tai chi
Tai chi is an ancient Chinese art that promotes physical and mental health and wellbeing. Movements are slow and controlled, helping to improve strength, flexibility, and balance.
Pilates
Pilates focuses solely on rebalancing your body and improving posture through slow and controlled movements. Not only can pilates improve your strength, but it can also boost your mental and physical wellbeing.
Green gyms
Many organizations offer a workout while undertaking physical, outdoor jobs such as digging, planting, and path-clearing.
Bowls
You can enjoy bowls no matter your age or ability. While it’s not the best option regarding calorie-burning, it can be good for posture, balance, and hand-eye coordination.
Home workouts
A great way to tailor workouts and exercises to suit your needs and preferences. Many of the above low-impact activities can be performed at home. Alternatively, certain apps and websites can also offer low-impact home workouts and activities.
The Take-Home Message
Swimming is one of the best activities for working your whole body while promoting a more relaxed, peaceful mindset.
It can help improve overall strength and aerobic fitness while reducing stress and improving mood.
However, no exercise will provide optimal results if it is performed every day. It’s best to incorporate other low-impact activities into your routine or scheduling rest days to allow your body to rest and recover properly!
