Get ready! Swimming is one of the best exercises.

All exercises have their benefits, but swimming isn’t like any other aerobic exercise. Here’s why:

Just being in water is beneficial to your muscles and bones because there’s no weight/gravity. This makes it not just the perfect exercise for anyone at any age, but the best choice for people with osteoarthritis. These people experience no pain in the water unlike weight bearing workouts. The water has been known to decrease arterial stiffness which is a risk factor for heart trouble. It’s also been known to lower blood pressure. My take on that is because it’s just so relaxing! It can be somewhat meditative in the water.

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It feels gentle on the body, but it does pack a punch on your muscles. The water is uniformly distributed so it puts beneficial pressure on your limbs, therefore allowing your muscles to react and with less stress on the knees and hips for people with those issues. In my experience, swimming regularly have shown results faster than the average “land exercise”.

Swimming could even improve the strength of your respiratory muscles because when you run or bike your breath becomes shallow and you exhale forcefully. How you breathe during a swimming workout is another big differentiator from how you breathe during out of the water exercise like running or biking. Those make your breath shallow and your exhales are more forceful. It’s the opposite of breathing while swimming laps.

Let’s not forget the swimmer’s body. Since swimming fires up more muscle groups (upper body, lower body + core) than other forms of cardio it’s sure to make a difference in how you tone. It’s no wonder you can get head to toe more tone than a cardio workout that just focuses on lower body for example, as in biking. Sure, you can also work the upper body by doing other forms of exercising, but with swimming, it’s all done at the same time. Plus an added bonus is that swimming improves posture, making you look more youthful.

If you’re just starting out, take it slow and focus on proper technique to get the most out of each movement. Start off with 30-minute sessions three times a week, and don’t forget to take frequent breaks. Ease into it and build up like you would if you started running.

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