Swimming : Fitness, Recreation & A Social
Activity
An Aerobic exercise & a life-time
sport
Swimming is a lifetime sport that benefits the body
and the whole person. Swimming is an excellent exercise that helps maintain your body in shape without the strain
of an aerobic workout and with the same results. Swimming is a good form of
exercise.
It is an aerobic
exercise due to the relatively long exercise times, requiring a constant oxygen supply to the muscles,
except for short sprints where the muscles work anaerobically. Its practice helps improve your
breathing.
Swimming is a popular recreational activity, particularly in hot countries and in
areas with natural watercourses. It is also a crucial part of other sports, such as water polo, synchronized
swimming and triathlon.
Lap-swimming is the total workout.
Swimming is also
great for those recuperating from injuries or living with
arthritis. It is Swimming is one of the few activities that are suitable for almost any person, no matter what
their age, athletic ability, or goal.
Swimming strengthens the abdomen, back and
shoulders.
It is a great form of all round
exercise as it improves strength, stamina & flexibility, all in one. Swimming is healthy, swimming is social,
swimming is for life and perhaps more importantly, it is fun.
Swimming is a skill that's not only enjoyable and good for your health. It is a great
recreational activity for people of all ages.
It is a great
workout because you need to move your whole body against the resistance of the water. It builds
endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness.
It provides an all-over body workout, as nearly all of your
muscles are used during swimming.
Swimming is a healthy, low-cost activity that you can continue throughout your life.
It is a great way to lose weight, build muscles and it burns fat like no
other activity with a whole lot of fun.
Swimming is one such sport where you can maintain elevated heart
rate for 20 or more minutes. It is especially useful for people who are overweight, pregnant, or with leg or lower
back problems.
Exercise
Athletes from other sports often use
swimming or exercise in water as an aid to recovery. Because when you
are in the pool you don't heat up as much as you do on land and your body does not have to work to cool you down as
much once the exercise session concludes.
Swimming is an excellent exercise that helps maintain your body
in shape without the strain of an aerobic workout and with the same results.
While other aerobic exercises can burn fat and help lose
weight, this effect works better in swimming. If you are tired of the track, treadmill, weights, or other land
based exercises, then swimming workouts is a great way to vary your exercise routine.
Once your doctor gives you the "OK" to swim as an exercise, you will need a swimsuit
that fits you comfortably and that won't need adjusting during exercise.
Caution : Check with a
doctor before beginning your exercise program, especially if you are pregnant or have chronic back, joint, heart,
or inner-ear problems.
Also, fitness exercise in water can be done more often because of the low incidence
of high-impact injuries and is more effective because movement in water has 12
times greater resistance than movement in air.
For the elderly, water fitness is safe, fills the need for
exercise, increases a body's range of motion and is a low-impact exercise. The heart puts out just as much blood as
in other exercises because it pumps more volume with each stroke, but more slowly.
Fitness
Swimming improves your level of
Fitness. It increases your stamina. By training on a regular basis, and
increasing the effort over a period of time, a person increases their own fitness level.
Regular swimming builds endurance,
muscle strength and
cardio-vascular fitness. It is great for general fitness, just not a
great way to drop excess pounds.
It is a sport for all age groups, skill and fitness levels. Great for overall
fitness, heart health and when done in a sustained manner can be your Ideal Weight Loss Exercise.
Health
When you feel fit and
healthy, you have a more positive approach to life. Keep in mind that the more times you do this Cardio Exercise in
a week, the higher your health benefits will be.
There are many health benefits of swimming, yet basic swimming
skills and safety precautions are needed to participate in water activities.
By : Pradeep Mahajan
Last updated : Jan 5,
2010
Other related articles
:
 Print this
page |  Bookmark this
page
|