Improve Your Health by Going Swimming Swimming is one of the most versatile and effective exercises we can do. If we are lucky enough to be near a pool, the ocean, or any body of water, we should take full advantage of the work out opportunities offered by swimming. Not only is swimming a fun way to get active, but it also provides major benefits to both our mental and physical health. One of the best things about swimming is that it is an exercise open to anyone of any age. Swimming is a low-impact activity and is ideal for elderly exercisers or people suffering from health ailments that make high-impact activities too difficult. Markham Heid, in a 2017 Time Health interview with Hirofumi Tanaka, a professor of kinesiology and director of the Cardiovascular Aging Research Lab at the University of Texas, entitled Why Swimming is So Good for You, explains, “This makes swimming the ideal exercise for people with osteoarthritis, for whom weight-bearing exercise can be excruciatingly painful. According to Tanaka’s research of people with the condition, swimming decreases arterial stiffness, a risk factor for heart trouble. More of his research has linked swim training with lower blood pressure among people with hypertension. The coolness and buoyancy of water are also appealing to people who are overweight or obese, for whom load-bearing aerobic exercises like running may be too hot or uncomfortable, Tanaka says.” Health benefits of swimming include: raising heart rate; building muscle strength, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness; improving heart and lung health; maintaining healthy weight; and providing an overall body workout. Additional benefits, according to the Better Health Channel, include: “being a relaxing and peaceful form of exercise; alleviating stress; improving coordination, balance and posture; improving flexibility; providing good low-impact therapy for some injuries and conditions; providing a pleasant way to cool down on a hot day; being available in many places – you can swim in swimming pools, beaches, lakes, dams and rivers. Make sure that the environment you choose to swim in is safe.” Overall, swimming is an incredibly effective exercise that improves physical and mental health, while also being enjoyable and fun for everybody.
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