Why Swimming is Good For You

Our bodies are about 70% water; and while the lungs are filled with the air, the body is slightly less dense than the surrounding water, which exerts a buoyant force on it. So to stay afloat all that is required is a slight propelling of water downward relative to the body. Because we are buoyant in the water, there is less force placed upon our joints and bones during swimming. Think about the graceful movement of a swimmer doing freestyle along a swimming pool – it’s such a majestic and seemingly easy form of exercise in comparison to the hard jolt of running on a bitumen road.

Hydration

Another benefit of swimming is the constant cooling down of the body from the surrounding water. But swimmers must be wary that just because they are presumably kept cool and refreshed throughout their swim, they are no more hydrated than they would be if jogging on the road instead. So remember to keep drinking water during a swim and afterwards. You may not feel thirsty at the time, but you really need to replace the water you are losing through sweat.

Aerobic Swimming

Fast swimming requires a high level of effort, meaning glycogen (stored glucose) rather than fat is burned. Prolonged exercise at lower intensity is better for fat-burning, and this is called aerobic exercise because it uses a relatively long exercise time, uses oxygen and maintains an increased heart rate. So if you want to burn fat it is better to swim at a moderate pace for longer instead of doing sudden bursts of sprint-swimming.

Bone Density

Now, because there is little impact on the joints and bones which will save on wear and tear, there is a related diadvantage of swimming in that it does barely anything for bone density. Bone density is important in protecting against diseases such as osteoporosis (porous bone - osteo = bone, porosis = porous) at the later stages of life. Achieving a higher peak bone mass through exercise and proper calcium intake during adolescence is important for the prevention of osteoporosis. So it's beneficial to engage in other forms of exercise that are higher impact such as walking or jogging.

An All-Round Form of Exercise

Swimming exercises almost all muscles in the body. Usually, the arms and upper body are exercised more than the legs. Those of you who engage in the sport will feel your arms tighten as you leave the pool – so remember to stretch them after each session.

In competitive swimming, excessive leg muscles can be seen as a disadvantage as they consume more oxygen, which would be needed for the muscles in the arms, although this depends on the swimming style. While breaststroke generates significant movement with the legs, freestyle propels the body mainly with the arms. You can see the importance of having ‘beefed up’ arms in regards to swimming if you just look at any Olympic Swimmer.

Even when you are not consciously swimming for exercise you will still be burning calories in the water. Just go to the beach and play around in the surf and you’ll still be exercising because of the resistance of the water! But I usually opt for the pool as there are less sharks, sting rays, and bluebottles…

source taken from: http://www.health-fitness.com.au/