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Swimming Benefits. We are recommended to do 150 minutes of moderate aerobics activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobics activity each week to stay healthy. And one of moderate aerobics activity that we can do is swimming.
Swimming is a sport that requires the use of your entire body from head to toe to move through water, and that is why it gives you many health benefits for your physical and mental health.
For physical health; because it requires the use of your entire body, swimming burns calories, builds muscular strengths and endurance, improve your cardiovascular fitness, and low impact activity, so you can do it safely into old age.
For mental health; if you know how to swim, it will build your confident to do other water sport activities, it boosts mood, it helps improve your sleep, and it helps manage your stress.
You can also do swimming anywhere as long as you have access to a pool, river or lake, and swimming is also great for kids too.
Builds Cardio-respiratory Fitness
Cardiovascular exercises involves the heart, lungs, and circulatory system. Beside running and walking, swimming is also an exercise that able to strengthen your cardiovascular fitness. Even, according to International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, swimming provides many health benefits comparable to those activities.
Builds Muscle Mass
Swimming is a sport that provides a full body workout. It takes almost your muscle group in the body rather than just focusing on one muscle group.
Does not matter what kind of swimming strokes that you are going to use, all stroke requires muscle from your arms and shoulders muscle to the legs and feet muscle when moving through the water.
Burns Calories
Swimming is an efficient way to burn calories. Harvard Medical School noted that in 30 minutes of recreational swimming for a person with weight of 57kg will burn about 180 calories, a person with weight of 70kg will burn about 223 calories, and a person with weight of 84kg will burn about 266 calories.
However, if you swim vigorously for 30 minutes it will burn more calories. A person with weight of 57kg will burn about 300 calories, a person with weight of 70kg will burn about 372 calories, and a person with eight of 84kg will burn about 444 calories.
Can Be Continued For A Lifetime
Because of its low-nature impact, swimming is an ideal workout to do without putting unnecessary strain on your joints, there is little risk for injury in swimming. That is why swimming is good for people of all ages. And once you know how to do it, you can enjoy it throughout your life time.
Build Confident To Do Other Water Activities
Swimming is the base of other water activities. There are many of fun recreational activities you can explore when it comes to water sports; surfing, snorkeling, diving, rafting, kayaking, etc. But if you do not know how to swim, water becomes the most scary place for you to go to.
It Boosts Mood
Any exercises including swimming have been shown able to boost our mood and decrease feelings of depression, anxiety and stress.
According to PMC-National Library of Medicine, swimming able to boost mood of small group of people with dementia after participating in 12 week swimming program.
It Helps Improve Sleep
Swimming and any aerobic physical activity helps you sleep better.
PMC-National Library of Medicine conducted a research of older adults with insomnia and reported swimming able to improve sleep after engaging in regular exercise.
It Helps Manage Stress
Swimming is great way to build your body and to relieve your stress. ADAA.org noted that scientists have found that regular participation in aerobic exercise has been shown to decrease overall levels of tension, elevate and stabilize mood, improve sleep, and improve self-esteem. Even five minutes of aerobic exercise can stimulate anti-anxiety effects.