Fitness and wellness are top priorities for people looking to live long, healthy lives. Your pool has always been a place for leisure, relaxation and fun, but it can also become your favorite place to get in a workout. Many find swimming to be an enjoyable way to get exercise. It is an activity the whole family can do individually or together, no matter their pace or fitness level.
The Benefits of Aquatics
External Benefits
Swimming is unique because unlike most sports, it offers a full-body workout. Whether you are doing the breaststroke or backstroke for 30 minutes, you are working all of the major muscle groups in your body at once. An equivalent workout on land would take 45 minutes.
Swimming builds muscle tone, with the added benefit of being low-impact, meaning it doesn’t stress your joints and muscles the way many other exercise regiments do. When you swim, you’re increasing your heart rate, building endurance, strength and flexibility, improving your overall fitness.
Swimming is one of the most effective ways to burn calories and gives you more bang for your buck. “A 160-pound person burns approximately 423 calories an hour while swimming laps at a low or moderate pace. That same person may burn up to 715 calories an hour swimming at a more vigorous pace. A 200-pound person doing the same activities would burn between 528 and 892 calories an hour. A 240-pound person might burn between 632 and 1,068.”
– Healthline
Internal Benefits
Alongside improving your cardiovascular health, swimming (in conjunction with a healthy diet) reduces your risks for many diseases. Studies have shown time in the pool can reduce blood pressure, improve lung function and even lower blood sugar levels. Swimming can also help you maintain a healthy weight.
The mental health benefits of swimming are bountiful. Just a short swim can relieve stress, have meditative qualities, reduce anxiety and produce endorphins that can be beneficial to people suffering from depression. Being in water also aids in relaxation, leading to better sleep and better overall health.
Swimming is for everyone
Whether you’re a child, adult or senior, swimming is a sustainable workout regiment you can continue throughout your life. Swimming is considered a low-impact workout with high-impact benefits. People recovering from injuries, living with disabilities or struggling with arthritis can all benefit from the ease of exercising in water because it supports up to 90 percent of your body weight. “Research in the International Journal of Sports Medicine shows swimming is better than straight-up rest for exercise recovery, for when you want to take it easy.”
If swimming laps isn’t your thing, there are other activities you can enjoy in the water that have many of the same health benefits. Maybe you prefer diving, water polo or resistance water walking to stay fit physically and mentally. The choices are endless!
From beginners to lifelong swimmers, the benefits of aquatics are undeniable. Swim laps, try water aerobics, challenge a friend to a pool basketball game – whatever you choose, choose aquatics in your daily life!
How helpful that you discuss the health benefits of swimming. My husband and I want to have a pool put in this summer. We will find a great pool construction service in our area.
Thanks for sharing, Ella! We hope you get that pool soon and continue to visit our blog for more pool care tips and tricks.
You got my attention when you said that swimming can relieve stress and can produce endorphins that can be beneficial to people suffering from depression. As you said, this also helps to improve sleep. With this in mind, I will consider finding a swimming class that I can join before the month ends. Due to stress at work, I have been really steeples and restless. What I want is to find an activity that can divert my attention and at the same make me feel relaxed. Thanks for sharing this.
Shammy, thank you so much for reading our blog! We hope you find a swim class and it helps you maintain a healthy lifestyle. Best of luck and keep us posted!
As an older adult, I have thought about taking up swimming because it seems to have the least amount of stress on my aching joints, but is super beneficial. I wanted to read about the benefits and am so glad I came across this great and informative read. I was also reading another read with additional benefits listed that I think people should know as well, https://www.ez.insure/landing/2020/06/benefits-of-swimming-for-seniors/ . What do you think?
Thank you for explaining how swimming can be used to help those who are recovering from injuries. I am resting a running injury, but I would like to keep up on my exercise. I think it would be interesting to try swimming to see how that helps.
That is a great idea, Olivia! Let us know how it works out for you. We hope you have a quick recovery.
It’s interesting that you elaborate on how swimming is an activity that can provide relief from stress. I experience a lot of stress on a weekly basis because of my work, so I’m thinking about hiring a contractor to build a swimming pool in my backyard this spring. I’m going to search for a reputable swimming pool contractor in my area that I can employ.
Thanks for explaining how swimming can help make it easier for you to sleep. I’ve been struggling with insomnia a lot this year, so I’m considering having a swimming pool constructed in my yard this June. I’m going to look for a good provider of pool construction services in my area to hire.
I hope your new pool helps, George! Best of luck to you and happy swimming!