What are the benefits of swimming?

Swimming is a very good form of cardio, but unlike running and walking, it is sometimes a little less accessible. After all, you need to find a pool with lifeguard supervision and master a number of swimming with lifeguard training strokes for a dynamic (and safe) workout.

Although swimming takes a little more preparation than other types of training, it offers unique benefits that walking and cycling, for example, do not give you.

5 health benefits of swimming

Swimming doesn't give you the same sensory experience as walking, cycling or running, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Swimming even offers some mental and physical benefits over other forms of exercise.

1 . It's a workout for your whole body

Unlike other endurance sports, swimming is a full-body cardio workout. You use your arm muscles (biceps and triceps) to pull your body through the water and the muscles in your shoulders (deltoid muscles) and back (latissimus dorsi or latissimus dorsi) give your strokes extra power and speed. 

While swimming doesn't offer the same strength-training benefits as lifting weights, there are ways to add resistance and strengthen your muscles while swimming. For example, many swimmers use paddles on their hands for added water resistance and to achieve a more powerful and efficient stroke.

2 . Swimming can be meditative

Performing repeated, rhythmic movements underwater is meditative for many people. Some even call it mindful swimming. During an interview with the New York Times, Terry Laughlin, founder of Total Immersion Swimming, explains, "By being mindful while swimming, we can transform boring laps into a fascinating form of moving meditation."

He further suggests that swimmers should intend to be fully present in the water and then focus on their breathing and stroke technique. He also says that listening to the sounds of swimming and practicing gratitude can provide additional mental health benefits.

3 . It can help reduce body fat

Regular swimming training, in combination with a healthy diet, can help improve body composition (ratio of muscle and fat mass). It is important to note that intense swimming, compared to gentle swimming workouts, generally produces the most benefits.

For example, a study published in 2015 in the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation found that middle-aged women who swam vigorously for an hour three times a week for 12 weeks lost nearly 3 percent of their body fat. In addition, the swimmers had better flexibility, cardiovascular fitness and better cholesterol levels.

4 . It is usually a safe, low-impact workout

Many popular individual sports and contact sports carry some degree of risk of musculoskeletal injuries. This can be caused by contact with the ground, other players or equipment, which can lead to bruises, broken bones or even more serious injuries. In this regard, swimming provides a safer environment for your workout.

The chance of this kind of injury is minimal while swimming with lifeguards training, because moving in water is seen as a low-impact exercise. This is because the effect of body weight is reduced by buoyancy, a 2015 article in the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation found .

However, swimming is not a sport without risks. Depending on the intensity with which you swim, you may, for example, suffer from a tendinitis in your biceps or a tear in your shoulder tendon. But apart from injuries, there is another risk involved when swimming in a pool.

5 . It can help improve your blood pressure

The researchers observed a reduced systolic blood pressure (top pressure), a lowered resting heart rate and a reduced fat percentage in the people from the intensive and moderately intensive swimming groups. No changes were observed in the control group.

In addition to lowering blood pressure, swimming can provide a host of other health benefits. Researchers in a 2020 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that swimmers who swam in cold water had lower triglyceride levels.

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