Swimming Benefits

During the summer, one of America’s greatest pastimes is swimming.  The nostalgia of playing Marco Polo, Sharks and Minnows, and numerous other pool games immediately comes to mind.  Few American’s, though, actually realize the health benefits in moving frequently through the water. 

Swimming is one of the rare exercises that works the entire body, includes the arms, the legs, and the core muscles.  In addition, it is a very good source of cardiovascular conditioning, working the heart muscle intensely.  Over time, swimming helps provide greater endurance, a stiff and better supported posture, while still increasing flexibility.  With better oxygen flow the body uses the muscles with greater efficiency allowing you to grow and develop the entire body over time.  As a side-effect, the increased oxygen flow improves blood pressure and reduces stress. 

What make swimming more advantageous than running or any other form of cardiovascular exercise is that it has a low risk of incurring injury.  Due to buoyancy, swimming reduces the amount of stress that is put onto the bones, joints and tendons.  When running, it is ease to miss a pothole and hurt the ankle or grind the cartilage in the knee.  

If you are thinking of getting back into swimming and you haven’t done it in a while, it may be a good idea to consult with a doctor first.  Swimming is a particularly taxing exercise that requires growth and development over time. 

For more information beneficial exercises, visit www.healthdirectoryforyou.com .