Swimming is hailed as a wonder sport, and it’s not difficult to understand why. But perhaps you still need a little persuasion to head to the local pool for a few lengths. After all, with it being so cold outside you’ll be more tempted to add layers – and lots of them – rather than peel them off down to a swimsuit. Ah, but remember that indoor pools are heated – and once you start swimming you’ll quickly warm up. Swimmers also have the advantage of a number of health boosters.
Top five health benefits of swimming
Strength builder: Think about dolphins. I doubt you’ve ever seen a fat dolphin! Now think about top swimmers. Ever seen a weak professional swimmer? That’s because the movement and exercise of swimming improves muscular strength and muscle tone. Health experts also tell us that swimming increases bone strength, which is epically important for post-menopausal women.
Low on impact: Swimming, unlike most other aerobic sports, gives your body a good workout but without any pounding or impact to your skeletal system. How so? When your body is submerged in water, the body only needs to deal with a small percentage of your actual weight because the water is doing the rest. So if you have stiff muscles and sore joints, swimming is the perfect exercise.
Good for your heart: Research shows that 30 minutes of exercise per day, such as swimming, can reduce significantly reduce your chances of coronary heart disease and also reduce your blood pressure.
Longer life: A study at the University of South Carolina found that people who swam regularly suffer lower death rate. The research found that of the 40,000 men, aged 20 to 90, who were tracked fro 30 years, those who swam had 50% less likelihood of premature death. It’s thought that the same is true for women.
Easy breathing: Asthma sufferers can find it tough to exercise outdoors in winter, or cope with the dry atmosphere of gyms. However, swimming allows you exercise in moist air, which can help to reduce exercise-induced asthma symptoms. Some other studies have also shown that swimming can actually improve the condition overall.
Goal setting is a great way of helping you to achieve whatever it is you’re aiming for. So make your goal simple – to swim 400m, to swim 200m in under 2 minutes, to lose 2 stone. For competitive swimmers, give yourself a deadline to reach your goal, for example swim 200m front crawl in under 2 minutes by January 1st. This way you can monitor your progress and make sure it happens by a certain date. For casual swimmers who are just looking to see an improvement leave it open ended. By not setting yourself a deadline your goal is there to be achieved for as long as you need it, whether it takes you a month or a year!
Set small targets for the short, mid and long term to help you achieve your overall goal. If your stroke needs a bit of work to make you swim faster then begin working on that now. If you’re looking to achieve a certain distance when swimming without stopping then add a length or two to your usual distance every time you swim.
perfect feeling before a big day.
being a face in the crowd – what you want when preparing for your big race!
By having just 1 person that doesn’t pull their weight, train as hard as everyone else or brings a negative attitude to training can drag everyone right down. That individual or handful of people is probably completely unaware that they have this effect on other team members! If this is happening in your club, then give them more encouragement than usual to be a part of the ‘positive team.’
Here we have some preventatives for you to try to stop your hair from suffering so badly from chlorine damage!
rea needs to be your body position. It’s harder for you to stay afloat so ensure your hips are kept towards the surface of the water and you get good rotation in your shoulders (the flexibility issue).
trength.
people who like getting outdoors.
well as wanting a fantastic workout!
Diving – Diving is one of the most popular sports with spectators so most people who have an interest in water sports will have seen it! Diving involves jumping off of a platform or springboard whilst performing acrobatics in mid air. It is a really tough sport that requires some huge physical demands, such as strength, flexibility and awareness. It can also be done synchronised. This is not a sport for the faint hearted, or those that are scared of heights! If you do wish to get involved in diving then visit a local club or school that can guide you safely.
