Swimming is an amazing form of fitness for people of all ages. Learn how hitting the pool helps keep you physically fit and boosts your mental health.
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1. Total Body Workout
Swimming is a great total body workout! When you swim, you engage almost every major muscle group, including your arms, legs and core.
If you need a low impact form of exercise, swimming is for you! Swimming increases your heart rate without putting excess stress on your joints.
Hitting the pool regularly builds strength, tones muscle, enhances fitness, and increases your metabolism.
Related: How To Swim Perfect Freestyle
2. Cardiovascular Fitness
Swimming is the best form of low impact cardiovascular fitness!
Cardiovascular exercise involves the heart, lungs, and circulatory system. Any type of aerobic activity like swimming, biking, or running will improve your cardiovascular fitness. Keeping your cardio fitness in check can help enhance your wellbeing for a lifetime.
Related: 30 Dryland Workouts for Swimmers
3. Lifelong Fitness
Swimming is a unique sport because it truly is suitable for all ages and fitness levels. Some types of exercise can be challenging or impossible to complete for people who are older or who have limited technical skill.
Swimming allows you to go at your own pace and is inviting for newcomers — the water doesn’t judge. It really is the only sport you can do from cradle to grave.
Related: Learning How To Swim At The Age of 53
4. Rehab Injuries
If you have an injury or a chronic condition like arthritis, swimming is a great way to rehabilitate your body and manage symptoms. The water gently supports your muscles, so it’s like being in zero gravity with the added benefit of the water’s resistance for fitness.
Swimming regularly will help you build muscle and improve your endurance, which will help you prevent future injuries, too!
Related: Swimming Is My Moving Medicine
5. Accessible For People With Disabilities
For people with a physical disability, the water may be a great way to exercise. There are many physically disabled athletes who love to swim, and pools around the world are making their facilities more accessible.
Swimming can also be a great exercise for those with mental disabilities, as it helps boost confidence and emphasizes focus on body positioning.
Related: Watch our Interview with Para Swimmer Jessica Long!
6. Safe During Pregnancy
While pregnant, women very often experience joint and muscle pain due to drastic body changes. Swimming is a wonderful exercise during pregnancy because it is safe, low-impact, and easy on the joints.
While pregnant you can swim pretty much right up until delivery. Always consult a doctor before starting any new fitness program.
Read: My Swimming Journey Through Pregnancy and Postpartum
7. Swimming Burns Lots of Calories
Swimming can be one of the most challenging workouts (if you want it to be) and as a result, you can burn a massive amount of calories, which is ideal if weight loss is your focus.
An elite swimmer can burn up to 1,000 calories per hour in the pool. More likely, you’ll burn anywhere from 300-500 calories per hour of swimming depending on your gender, body weight, and swimming intensity. Learn more about swimming and calorie burn >
Related: How I Lost 110lbs With MySwimPro
8. Improves Sleep
The more you swim, the better you will sleep! In trials of adults with insomnia, those who exercises regularly reported improved sleep.
Specifically, swimming is great because it engages your entire body, enouraging a good sleep pattern to recover all your muscles.
Read More: The Amazing Health Benefits of Swimming
9. Boosts Your Mood
Swimming makes you happy! It’s proven that exercise releases endorphins, which improve your overall mood and happiness. Swimming is also a great way to build a social community, focus on goal-setting, and improve your confidence.
Related: How I’m Getting Back in Shape with MySwimPro
10. Manages Stress
Having a tough day? We always recommend going for a swim!
Swimming is a great way to relieve stress and anxiety. It can also keep you distracted and help redirect troubling thoughts. You can escape from the world and be one with the water.
Related: How Often Should You Swim?
Bonus! It Makes You Happier
Lifelong swimmers will tell you they’re always happier after a swim!
Regardless of what you did before the swim, you’re going to feel better and happier after a swim. This is partly due to the release of endorphins, but also due to the feeling of accomplishment for doing something. No matter how fast you go, you’re still lapping everyone on the couch!
Related: 10 Swimmers Share Why They Love Their Sport
In summary, swimming is all around awesome! From the physical benefits to the mental improvements, swimming just a few times per week is an amazing way to enhance your life.
If you’re looking for a way to get started, download the MySwimPro app for iOS or Android and get started with a personalized Training Plan. You’ll get customized Workouts designed just for you to help you reach your fitness goals. Use code SWIM35 for $35 off your first year of MySwimPro Coach >
13 Comments
I am a Masters Swimmer. I love competing but It does not improve my sleep. 9 out of 10 ain’t bad.
Tony Goodwin
Amazing article! Swimming is really one of the best exercises. Apart from being a total body workout, swimming can improve your skin. The pressure of the water against your body massages the skin, while chlorine exposure can kill acne-causing bacteria.
Thanks for the feedback!
Thank you so much for pointing out that swimming can be a great way to escape from stress. As a kid, I loved swimming; I was basically a fish. Now, life is stressful and overwhelming, and I just want to feel like that kid again. I will have to look into swim spas that could fit my needs and help me destress.
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Great article! One of the most effective and at the same time, low impact exercise, swimming is great for all ages. Although the pandemic situation has dampened all plans for swimming in 2020 summer, pools and tubs in backyards could be relaxing too. CDC says that the water carries extremely low risk of transmission, but still precautions need to be maintained.
Swimming definitely helps with arthritis. I was born with hip dysplacia in my left hip. One leg is shorter than the other and I get paid in the area where the socket isn’t secured from standing too long to simply a change in the weather. However, I will go swimming before taking any pain medication.
It stood out to me when you said that swimming can make us feel happier and give us a feeling of accomplishment. My husband and I both agree we want to get in better shape next year and have been brainstorming the best way to go about that. I’m glad I read your article so I can talk to my husband about the idea of having an in-ground swimming pool installed soon!
I wholeheartedly agree! Swimming has changed my life drastically (again.) I love swimming! You can feel all the goodness of the activity from the 1st time you get in the water. I rediscovered swimming after a 20 yr hiatus. Never again! I will swim as long as Im able to breathe!
This was such a great article! Amazingly written I felt I was smiling throughout the entire read! The point that stood out to me the most was great for people with disabilities. I worked in the Special Olympics for a few years and then went off to volunteer as a coach for a few additional sports to encourage physical literacy in all abilities. One of our relaxing get-togethers for team building was swimming because it was an activity we all could do. Some of us wore flippers, others floaters, and so on. Just remembering that improves my mood just as number 9 says. I am glad I read your article as it boosted my mood and made me want to go swimming again! Keep writing. This was amazing!
it’s a great article ,I cam see swimming It’s one of the best sports I’m a tennis coach and I have a knee injury and I train bodybuilding too – really when I go swimming I feel that all my muscles are working and I don’t feel the knee injury – also water and chlorine help to eliminate body bacteria if any – and I feel refreshed after swimming .
Everyone, regardless of age, background, or level of experience, can benefit from swimming. One of the few sports that can be enjoyed by people of all ages is swimming. Thank you for sharing such an informative article.