The Skinny
Almost every kid loves to dive in a pool, cool off and splash about. Adults like to go for dips too and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s good, relaxing fun. Swimming can be more, however. It is a great form of exercise that can do wonders for strength and muscle development as well as burn calories along with lots of other benefits. So, go ahead, jump in and start swimming. WellWell has identified the benefits for you.
The Slate
Muscle Builder
Swimming builds specific muscles and develops overall strength. Arms, legs and the body’s core really benefit, which in turn means a leaner body. There are obvious cardiovascular and flexibility benefits as well.
Regulates Blood Sugar
Swimming seems to be a great way to regulate blood sugar. One study, in fact, reports that premenopausal women who swam three times per week saw an improvement in their glucose control and insulin sensitivity. For what it’s worth, this study suggests that low volume, high intensity intermittent swimming was better than low intensity swimming.
Mind Relief
Exercise, in general, helps ease anxiety and depression and swimming certainly fits that mold. Apparently, it works for both people and animals too as two separate studies found that man and beast were less anxious, angry, confused and depressed after a decent dip.
Low-Impact Therapy
Individuals looking for a low-impact activity to deal with an injury or chronic condition like arthritis should take a swim. The water supports muscles gently, while also offering resistance for fitness. That’s a great tradeoff for people in discomfort or who are trying to rebound from a specific injury.
Asthma Aid
Asthma patients or others dealing with lung conditions can turn to swimming for benefits and relief. It may ultimately be the best exercise they can find because the moisture from the water replaces the moisture expelled during vigorous breathing, easing related conditions.
Brain Bolsterer
It may be hard to believe, but swimming may support brain development, at least that’s what one Australian study found. This research claimed that children who started swimming at an early age started mastering cognitive skills sooner than those who didn’t get into the water. Obviously motor skills improved, but so did their language and mathematics abilities.
Burns Calories
Want to lose weight and burn calories? Start swimming. A gentle dip and swim can burn off 200 calories in just 30 minutes, which is double the amount that would be lost walking. Swim faster and the calorie burn rises.
Sleep Enhancer
Swimming and sleeping go hand in hand, although admittedly not simultaneously. The National Sleep Foundation, in fact, reports exercise is critical to sleeping better and swimming is a big winner on this front because it results in free-floating movements and meditation-like breathing, both of which supports better snoozing.
Eyes Up
Are you a big dipper? Let us know why at info@wellwellusa.com.
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