When is the last time you jumped into a pool for a swim and thought to yourself "I'm getting a workout"?
Most likely, you didn't. With the warm weather right around the corner, I thought this was interesting for people who never thought swimming as exercise. In fact, swimming is a low impact sport that is safe and may help you live a longer and healthier life.
Swimming is not the best for of exercise for weight loss, however, it will help build muscle as well as lower the percentage of your body fat. This is because in water, your weight is lighter but its resistance is about 775 times greater than in air. Chicago doctor Fred Daniels states, "You're using all of your muscles in the water, so you're developing more solid muscle. You don't see much difference in the weight, but you do see a chance in the composition of the body fat"
If you are someone who likes to jog or walk, you can get the same results from swimming with less effort because of the difference in force you need to exert. Many physicians actually recommend swimming and water exercise over walking and jogging. Swimming is also beneficial to the elderly, the disabled, people suffering from arthritis and chronic pains, and people recovering from broken bones and back injuries. This is because swimming is a non weight-bearing sport. According to Dr. Ronald W. Davidson, a New York City general practitioner, "You can actually move your arms and legs without the problems of gravity. You can move extremities, your back and so forth, even if they're inflamed, and not suffer the aftermath of trying to do the same thing on land." So the next time you want a workout but don't feel like hitting the gym or you just want to switch it up a little bit, try going for swim.
