Health Up: Reasons Why Swimming Is Important
Swimming is vital for a multitude of reasons, including the ability to handle oneself in the water, but it also helps mentally by increasing self-esteem, developing social skills, and overcoming phobias. Swimming was a feature of military training in ancient Greece and Rome. In Asia, swimming was also prominent. Swimming, on the other hand, became less popular in Europe during the Middle Ages. People were afraid of water because they thought it could spread disease. Swimming was a popular pastime among ancient Egyptians due to its medicinal effects, and it was considered an important element of their culture. It was once again popular in the nineteenth century. It’s now a sport as well as a recreational activity. What is the significance of this? The following are reasons why swimming is important:
-
Swimming saves lives
Drowning is the world’s third greatest cause of unintentional injury death, according to the World Health Organization. This amounted to almost 320,000 deaths in 2016. The WHO also admits that this may be a huge underestimation of the problem. Humans, unlike animals, do not have an inherent capacity to swim. It is critical to learn to save lives.
Swimming saves lives
-
It creates more employment opportunities
Being able to swim opens up many doors for future employment. Examples of professions include lifeguard, swimming teacher, competitive swimming coach, and rescue swimmer. Many other careers that aren’t focused on swimming involve that skill, such as underwater photography and marine biology. Certain branches of the military – like the Navy and Coast guard – also require swimming tests. Even if you aren’t planning on a career dedicated to swimming, it’s a skill that gives you more options.
-
Swimming is beneficial to your mental health.
Exercise of any kind is beneficial to a person’s mental health. Swimming, in particular, was found to lessen sadness and anxiety symptoms in 1.4 million adults in a British study. Almost 500,000 British adults with mental illnesses indicated that swimming helped them reduce the number of times they visited a mental health practitioner.
-
It’s good for people with asthma
Exercise is an important part of staying healthy, but what if you have asthma? Exercise-induced asthma is a real problem. Luckily, swimming is one of the few exercises that doesn’t aggravate this condition. It could be because the air is moist and warm. Swimming also requires breath control, which strengthens a person’s lungs and helps them develop better breathing practices.
-
It’s working out your entire body
If you’re into fitness or want to improve your exercise routine, swimming is one of the best workouts you can get. Why? It works out your entire body using only the water and your body weight. Swimming engages your legs, arms, glutes, upper body, core, and back muscles. Just 20 minutes in the pool burns more than 250 calories.
-
Swimming results in better brain health
Because swimming is so good for your heart and helps it pump blood more efficiently, it’s also good for your brain. Better blood flow to your brain leads to better memory, mental clarity, and focus. In a study from the Journal of Physiology, blood flow in men increased by 14% when they submerged themselves in water up to their hearts. This could be because the water’s pressure on the chest cavity encourages more blood flow to the brain.
Swimming results in better brain health
-
Swimming strengthens your lungs
When you take a deep breath and swim underwater, your body knows it has to use oxygen more efficiently. As you swim, your body takes in more oxygen with each breath and gets rid of more carbon dioxide when you exhale. This affects your “tidal volume,” which is the amount of air that moves in and out of your lungs during normal, relaxed breathing. Evidence suggests that swimmers have better tidal volume than non-swimmers. This is associated with lower resting heart rates and lower blood pressure.
Considering all the health benefits of swimming, it makes sense that it has anti-aging effects. Evidence shows that people who swim regularly can be biologically 20 years younger than their actual age. Thanks to benefits like lower blood pressure, better cholesterol levels, reduced joint pain, better brain health, and more, you can fight off age with swimming.
-
Swimming is beneficial to your joints.
Working out can be difficult if you have joint difficulties or have had an accident. If you’re not careful, it can even make things worse. Swimming is an excellent low-impact workout because of the buoyancy of the water. Hydrotherapy (water therapy) is frequently advised for persons with arthritis. Water exercises can assist people to improve their posture, range of motion, and balance. In addition, the pool can help to minimize joint swelling.
HEALTH UP: Swimming is an aerobic activity, otherwise known as “cardio.” During aerobic exercise, large muscles move constantly for a certain length of time while the heart rate increases. The benefits of this type of exercise include a lowered risk for issues like heart disease and diabetes. Because there’s lots of breath control involved in swimming, your muscles work harder and you can reach those heart rate targets faster than with other forms of aerobic exercise.
