If you’re looking for an enjoyable leisure activity to boost your mental and physical health, consider swimming. Besides being a full-time, professional sport, swimming is a healthy activity that doubles as a workout for your whole body and offers many health benefits.
Now let’s look at how swimming helps you improve your physical and mental well-being.
It’s a full-body workout
If you’re running, you’re mostly using your leg muscles; if you’re cycling, you’re relying on your legs again. But when you’re swimming, you exercise your whole body. Your feet, arms, and torso all work out simultaneously to keep your body moving in the water. This helps you:
- Build endurance
- Build strength
- Tone muscles
- Increase your heart rate without stressing the body too much
You can also add a variety of swimming styles to focus on certain muscle groups. For example:
- Breaststroke
- Sidestroke
- Freestyle
- Backstroke
- Butterfly
Swimming also works out your insides
While swimming improves your muscular strength, it also boosts your cardiovascular health. When you’re swimming, your heart and lungs also become stronger. It also lowers your blood pressure and controls your blood sugar levels.
It burns calories efficiently
If you want to lose fat, burn more calories than you consume in a single day. An hour of swimming burns around 500 calories, compared to an hour of walking, which only burns about 300 calories.
It improves your sleep routine
According to research, adults struggling with insomnia reported a boost in their sleep quality after trying aerobic exercises such as swimming. Since regularly working out helps you reset your circadian rhythm, swimming helps you adjust and maintain better sleeping habits.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to swim, it’s never too late. Visit your nearest gym and start your swimming classes.
However, swimming may take a toll on your muscles and joints. If you’re experiencing any muscle pain after a swimming session, 5 STAR CLINIC LTD can help you. Our physiotherapy and acupuncture treatments can help you treat various chronic pains including back pain, neck pain, and knee pain.
Our clinic also offers a wide range of other non-surgical pain relief treatments, including massage therapy, physiotherapy, and more.
Contact us today to learn more about our services.