Five Reasons to Swim to Fitness

Swim for Fitness

When you think about exercise, what do you imagine? Do you think about running laps on the treadmill, or pushing weights up and down a machine at the gym? It’s easy to forget that exercise can include a variety of activities, and that some of these activities – like swimming – can have great health and fitness benefits. Why should you swim? Here are five of the reasons you should “swim to fitness.”

1. It’s easy on your joints. This is especially true for heavier people, but anyone with joint problems knows how much easier it is to swim without the constant pounding of fighting against gravity, but rather against the resistance of the water. Swimming is simply easy on your joints, and if you become a regular swimmer, you won’t have to be worried about the impact it has on your shoulders, elbows, and knees.

2. Automatic resistance. Simply being in the water means that you’re dealing with the resistance involved: some athletes even like to use the water to add resistance to different types of exercise like jogging. Working against resistance means that you’re putting a little extra work on your muscles to keep you moving, which of course stimulates muscle growth. You’ll also find it easier to work out “small” muscles that you normally wouldn’t focus on above the water.

3. Immersion. Getting in the water means that you have to immerse yourself in physical activity, at least for some period of time. Before you get in the water, you have to change into your swimming trunks, which means that you will find it a little more difficult to simply quit early on. When you’re swimming, you’re immersed in the activity, which means that you can concentrate on your workout.

4. It’s a great way to wake up. If you’ve been looking for a way to work out in the mornings but never found anything that helps you really wake up, jumping in the pool is a great way to tell your body “okay, it’s time to move!” You’ll feel invigorated, refreshed, and ready for what the day has to offer after you’ve taken a swim.

5. Working out plenty of muscle groups. When you swim, you often don’t isolate any specific muscle – in order to propel yourself forward, you have to work out plenty of muscle groups. This means that you get a workout that accomplishes many things at the same time while burning more calories because you’re working harder.

Photo Credits: spakattacks

Originally posted 2009-10-16 03:32:08.

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