When you do something good for your body, you know it. You feel energized and healthy in a way that you can only experience if you put in long term hard work.
Exercise is one way to feel this invigoration, and one of the best exercises for your overall bodily health is swimming. In this exercise, some body parts and energy systems work harder than others, but it affects your body in a variety of positive ways. If you swim 20 minutes every day, here are seven things that happen to your body for the better.
Improved muscle strength and tone
Swimming is a great way to build muscle strength and tone compared to other aerobic exercises. When swimming, you propel your body through water rather than just air when running, so each kick or stroke is a resistance exercise.
Less pressure on bones and joints
Swimming offers the ability to work the body without harsh effects on the skeletal system. When immersed to the waist, your body will bear only 50 percent of its normal weight. This means you can handle exercising with sore joints and stiff muscles, particularly if you are suffering from arthritis or overweight.
Weight control
Swimming is great for you to keep the healthy weight, and it is one of the most recognized calories burners around. For every 10 minutes of intense swimming, you should burn up approximately 150 calories, depending on your weight and sex. In order to enhance the calories burnt, you can utilize interval training.
Enhanced flexibility
Swimming puts your body through a range of motion which helps joints, as well as ligaments, stay flexible and loose. Your hips are involved because your legs scissor via the water, and your head and spine twist from one side to another side.
Stress decline and brain improvement
Swimming allows more oxygen to flow to the muscles and forces you to regulate your own breathing. It is also a great way to reduce stress with swimming, as it could improve your brain functions via a process known as hippocampal neurogenesis, in which your brain will replace lost cells resulted by stress.
Reduced body pain
Swimming is also a great sport that could relieve certain kinds of aches. Specifically, patients with backaches and stiff joints, as is the case with arthritis, greatly benefit from the pain-relieving, weightless effects of swimming in warm water.
Better sleep
Another great benefit to putting in 20 minutes a day in the water is that it improves your sleep quality. According to a recent study in the journal Sleep Medicine, in a study on older adults with insomnia, participants reported both a boost in quality of life and sleep after engaging in regular aerobic exercise. Since swimming is accessible to older people who often experience joint pain and other afflictions, swimming is an excellent aerobic exercise to improve sleep quality.
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-swimming
http://www.hamiltonhealthandfitness.com/17-major-health-and-mental-benefits-of-swimming-daily/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2992829/
