7 Ways That Swimming Can Lead to a Healthier You

Swimming can be a year-round activity for people living in warm-weather cities like Houston. What person wouldn’t relish taking a dip in the pool at any opportunity? We’re sure that you’re no exception!

Besides being fun in its own right, swimming offers a variety of health benefits. In this blog post, we will enumerate several major health benefits of swimming—we could’ve listed more, but we wouldn’t want to keep you here all day when you could be swimming in a Richard’s TBS pool instead!

Before we begin, a disclaimer for novice swimmers: before starting any new health regimen, be sure to consult with a qualified physician.

Health Benefit #1: Swimming burns calories.

The rate at which an individual burns calories depends on factors such as swimming efficiency, body weight and metabolism. With that said, on average, you can burn approximately 500 to 650 calories per hour by swimming. Indeed, an hour of swimming is one of the most calorie-burning exercise activities you can engage in—and best of all, the more you weigh, the more calories you get to burn!

Health Benefit #2: Swimming builds muscle strength.

As a form of cardiovascular exercise, swimming tones muscles more effectively than most land-based exercises. The buoyancy of the water allows you perform difficult exercises, while the water resistance creates a force that works against your entire body (as opposed to a particular body part). Organizations such as The United States Water Fitness Association offer helpful water exercise information should you need it.

Health Benefit #3: Swimming improves flexibility.

As mentioned earlier, swimming is a full-body workout. Therefore, it stands to reason that aquatic exercise, much like yoga, can improve overall flexibility and strength. In addition, stretching out in a heated pool has been known to relieve stiff or tight joints in people with arthritis.

Health Benefit #4: Swimming strengthens the heart and lungs.

Swimming is a unique form of aerobic exercise in that the pressure of the water improves heart contractility, which is the ability of the heart to pump blood to other parts of the body. Because it trains your body to effectively utilize oxygen, swimming also helps you improve lung capacity, regulate breathing and even reduce asthma symptoms.

Health Benefit #5: Swimming alleviates mental and physical stress.

The act of swimming releases endorphins (a.k.a. “feel-good” chemicals) that improve your self-esteem and overall mood. For many swimmers, a good water workout reduces stress and promotes relaxation in a manner similar to mediation.

Health Benefit #6: Swimming lowers cholesterol and lessens diabetes risk.

According to the American Heart Association, a half-hour of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity at least three times a week significantly improves cardiovascular health. A heart-healthy activity like swimming raises good cholesterol levels while lowering bad cholesterol, as well as lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Health Benefit #7: Swimming helps combat the aging process.

Because it is a fun, relatively low-impact activity, swimming is something you can do over the course of a lifetime. According to a University of South Carolina study conducted over a period of 32 years, males who swam regularly had a fifty percent lower death rate than those who didn’t swim regularly. It may not exactly be the fountain of youth, but a Richard’s swimming pool can help slow down Father Time a little bit!