The Surprising Health Benefits of Swimming

The physical benefits of swimming are very well documented. Open any sports or health magazine and I’m sure you’ll find an article describing why you should add swimming to your cardio routine. Swimming regularly keeps up your heart rate while taking some of the impact stress off your body. Not only will this help you maintain a healthy weight, heart, and lungs, but it also tones your muscles and builds up your strength. After all, none of us want to look bad in a swim suit.

In fact, depending on the type of swimming that you’re doing, it can end up a significantly better workout than other popular forms of cardio, such as running. Other physical benefits of swimming over other forms of cardio include being easier on joints, gentler exercise while recovering from and injury, and it operates as a full body workout rather than a targeted exercise. Running might burn calories, but at the end of the day your arms aren’t getting a workout when your legs are pounding the pavement. Swimming involves all the major muscles groups and is therefore a much more well-rounded exercise.

Mind

Swimming has lot of other benefits which are less obvious to the layperson. These include psychological benefits such as releasing endorphins, alleviating symptoms of stress, depression, and anxiety, and allowing for time to be with the people you care about.

I know that last one might seem a little mushy but think about it! Swimming often takes place in social environments. The community pool, the beach, a barbecue. All of these are situations where you get to spend time with people who you care about while being able to get some exercise and relaxing in the sun. Social time is a little-considered benefit of swimming that takes it from mere exercise or recreation to a well-rounded, beneficial way to spend an afternoon.

Swimming can have a tremendous benefit when using it as a tool for self-care and alone time. Under water there is nothing but your heartbeat and silence. There is something other-worldly about the privacy that being under water allows you. No phone calls, no texts from your smart watch no people leaning on you for advice. It’s just you and your thoughts. Even just floating can decrease anxiety. This study is just one of many that  prove that immersions in water increases blood flow to the brain thereby increasing oxygen to the brain which improves brain function.

Whether that is through the products that we carry or the activities that we recommend, your health and wellbeing is our number one priority. We want you to enjoy a wellthier you!