Three Reasons to Swim for Improved Mental Health

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We all are aware of the physical benefits of swimming – all it takes is a gander at the 2008 American Olympics swimming team to understand what swimming can do for you physically. In addition to become more toned and lean, physical exercise in the pool decreases stress on the joints, allows you to refreshed, and challenges your muscles with the inherent exercise of working with water resistance.

But aside from those physical benefits, what are some of the mental benefits of swimming – not simply because it is an exercise? Swimming has unique mental benefits that can only be found in the pool or lake: here are three reasons to swim for improved mental health:

Getting Away From Things – While taking a jog, run, or hike into the wilderness can also help one “escape” from things, nothing quite compares to the serenity of a nice swim – particularly if you have your own pool or corner of the lake to explore. Going underwater, your sense of the “above-water” world is disconnected just for a brief period of time, allowing you to quite literally get away, even if just for a while. Swimming in a pool totally immerses you in the exercise you are doing, helping you to focus and giving you an escape from the hustle and bustle of life.
Refreshing you, and waking you up – Some people find that nothing compares to a morning swim – not even a morning run. Why not? Because nothing wakes you up like completely immersing yourself in water – you gain instant concentration, focus, and energy by exposing yourself to this new environment. Even after the novelty of swimming wears off, the effect of going into the water remains. If you don’t go for a swim in the morning, swimming can still have a refreshing effect, even into the night hours, allowing you to feel reinvigorated for quite some time.
Focus – When you’re swimming, you’re exercising – it’s as simple as that. Unless you barely move at all in the water, to some extent you’ll be working with water resistance and building your muscles. The total immersion of swimming means that you can focus exclusively on your activity, or let your mind wander peacefully while you work out the solutions to some problems you might have.

These are just three of the benefits you’ll find when using swimming as an exercise – if you’ve been an avid runner looking for a low-impact new sport, or simply someone looking to get back into shape, you would be wise to look at swimming as an option for you and your health.

Originally posted 2008-12-11 14:41:27.

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