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Swimming: 6 Reasons to Swim and Keep Your Health Afloat

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Swimming has numerous benefits for physical and mental health. It helps improve mental health, strengthens family connections, and improves physiological well-being. Discover more here.

Aerobic exercise

A few regular strokes help keep your entire body healthy.

According to the 2012 US Census Bureau, swimming is among the top five most popular sports activities in the United States and is a great way for people to be aerobic. 

A sedentary lifestyle can put anyone at increased risk for certain health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, or high blood pressure. This means that for people with disabilities, it is important to be as physically active as possible. People who swim have a better chance of improving their health compared to people who are inactive. Additionally, swimmers with limited mobility enjoy swimming rather than exercising on land, as they can exercise longer in the water without putting pressure on their muscles or joints. For families who do not have easy access to public pools, you may consider building an in-ground pool or simply installing an above-ground pool that meets your needs.

The benefits of swimming

  1. Mental Health Benefits: Swimming as a recreational activity leaves you with a positive feeling that improves your mental health. For people with fibromyalgia, this activity decreases the Stress and swimming in warm water can decrease depression and improve mood. Swimming activity can affect the mental health of mothers.
  2. Improved Behavioral Outcomes: For parents of children with any disability, recreational activities such as swimming sports help children improve their family connections. Even for adults, swimming increases confidence and improves your social skills. Swimming with other people in a public pool enhances the community spirit and provides an opportunity to meet new people and develop social skills. Spending some time at the pool or beach with family and friends also increases shared memories and thus improves mental health through socialization and intimacy.
  3. Improves Physiological Well-being: For people with disabilities who like sports, swimming can foster a competitive spirit. According to researchers in a public health publication Salud Pública de México (2010), perceived competence improves psychological well-being, thus improving mental health. Also, participating in recreational and competitive sports can greatly increase your independence. This in turn improves your self-confidence, which leads to a better quality of life.
  4. Physical Health Benefits: Swimming, as a physical activity, helps people with chronic diseases. For example, people with arthritis who swim make use of affected joints without making symptoms worse. People with rheumatoid arthritis have better health improvements after swimming than with any other activity. Swimming also helps improve the use of affected joints and minimizes any pain caused by osteoarthritis. The water floats and supports weight, joints, muscles and spine.
  5. Increased Muscular Endurance - Water offers excellent resistance for muscular endurance and strength training. Remember that your heart is a muscle that needs exercise and swimming is the perfect activity.
  6. Improves transfer skills: Swimming as a form of exercise helps improve transfer skills, such as going from the wheelchair to the pool and vice versa.

You don't have to become Michael Phelps to enjoy taking a few strokes in a pool, a river or on the shore of a beach, swimming regularly will help you maintain a healthy life through aerobic exercise that will keep your whole body in movement.

Remember that exercising is only part of the equation for a healthy life. Maintain a balanced diet and a conservation attitude towards the planet and all its living beings.

Frequently asked questions from our readers:

The reasons to swim and keep your health afloat in physical preparation are: 1) Improves cardiovascular resistance and strengthens the heart. 2) Helps tone and strengthen muscles throughout the body. 3) It is a low-impact activity that protects the joints. 4) Helps control weight and burn calories. 5) Improves flexibility and coordination. 6) Reduces stress and improves mood. Read more here: https://www.equilibriumx.com/preparacion-fisica/natacion-6-razones-para-nadar-y-mantener-a-flote-tu-salud
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Last modified: March 27, 2024