Why Swimming Is An Essential Exercise
After walking, the next best thing you can do for your body is to swim on a regular basis. Swimming is the ultimate enjoyable safe way of exercising, providing all the aerobic benefits of, say, running and cycling without the same wear and tear on the muscles, joints and bones. It gives an excellent aerobic workout by exercising most of your major muscle groups.
The natural resistance of water strengthens and tones your muscles, joints and bones without the same risk of injury present when you exercise on land. Water is about 1,000 times denser than air, which is why it offers considerable resistance, resulting in a ?double positive? effect on your body. It exercises opposing sets of muscles at the same time ? for example, the front and back of your arms in the same movement. From a body-sculpting point of view, swimming does not encourage the bulking of muscles; in fact, with the added resistance of the water, muscles often become lean, rather like those of runners.
The benefits of swimming ? Strengthens the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. ? Maintains and develops bones and muscles. ? Builds stamina and endurance. ? Gentle whole-body exercise with aerobic value. ? Maintains flexibility and muscle tone. ? Stimulates the circulation. ? The horizontal position places less stress on your heart in respect of blood circulation. ? Gentle pressure of water on skin enhances blood circulation. ? The cardiovascular benefits are essential the same as in running or walking, with all the major muscle groups being worked. ? Lowers blood pressure. ? Water resistance helps to build up muscle strength. ? Weightlessness in water allows one to stretch effectively, using the water?s support. ? Excellent for maintaining flexibility and suppleness. ? Creates lean muscles and not heavy bulky muscles. ? Rehabilitates injured or weakened muscles. ? Speeds up the healing process. ? Relaxes and refreshes the mind. ? Good for overweight people as the body is supported. ? Safe for pregnant women throughout pregnancy. ? Good for those with joint or back problems.
Just walking in water is a fantastic exercise for building up your endurance. Walk as briskly as you can in waist or chest high water. Walking in water is the ideal exercise for brilliant body-conditioning without the sweat.
Swimming and other water exercise are considered much safer than working out on the ground or in the gym because water is the perfect cushion of support, allowing you to feel almost weightless. As your body is 90 per cent lighter in the water, you are more buoyant and therefore there is much less pressure on your joints than there would be in the gym.
The total natural support of water usually has a very comforting and relaxing effect on your state of mind. As your mind calms down so too does your whole body, improving and massaging your muscles as you effortlessly move through the water.
Water exercise is also excellent for the injured, the disabled, the elderly and mothers-to-be, as no additional stress is placed on the joints when moving through the water. This is the most painless way to exercise, which is why it is recommended for so many conditions. After walking, it is the best exercise for preventing degenerative health conditions, and a wonderful way of moving that enables you to maintain the well-being of both body and mind throughout your life.
It is important to remember that swimming is an exercise like any other and, therefore, warm-ups and stretches are just as relevant here as if you were running five miles on the treadmill. Warming up could be one lap followed by stretches, particularly of the shoulders, arms and upper back.
TT authors for the health resource http://www.healthadel.com.
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