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Wellness Wednesday: Swim To Win!
The summer is a great time to get back into the water by taking a trip to the beach, spending a day tubing in the river, or going for a splash in a pool. These watery excursions aren’t just great fun—when you swim you’re improving your health.. Even simply spending twenty minutes swimming can do your health and wellness a world of good. Here are a few benefits of swimming.
Full Body Workout
Swimming is one of the best types of exercise you can do because it engages the entire body. Swimming increases your heart rate without putting stress on your body. It tones muscles and helps you build strength and endurance. It’s a great cardio workout that can burn a comparable amount of calories to the same amount of time running.
Different Strokes for Different Folks
There’s no one way to swim. There are a variety of different swim styles; so if you find swimming laps are starting to get monotonous try switching up your stroke. Styles of swimming strokes include:
- Breaststroke
- Backstroke
- Sidestroke
- Butterfly
- Freestyle
Low Impact
Swimming is a low impact exercise, which makes it a relatively safe activity for people dealing with injuries, arthritis, and other forms of disability. It can help alleviate joint pain and improve recovery for certain injuries. It can also be beneficial to people with asthma or multiple sclerosis.
Sleep Better
Studies have found that regular swimming can boost an adult’s quality of sleep and help symptoms of insomnia and sleep apnea.
Manages Stress and Improves Mood
Swimming isn’t just great for the body—it’s good for your brain. Swimming can boost your mood by decreasing anxiety and depression, easing stress symptoms, and improving overall mood.