Swimming can be the best exercise there is. Here's why.
Experts outline the benefits of swimming, from strengthening your muscles to reducing inflammation and improving your mental health - and how to get started.
Experts outline the benefits of swimming, from strengthening your muscles to reducing inflammation and improving your mental health - and how to get started.
While most people appreciate the health benefits of running, cycling or lifting weights, fewer understand the benefits that come from a good swim, which include muscle toning and strengthening, reduced inflammation, and improved heart, lung and mental health.
“Swimming provides a range of specific benefits such as improved cardiovascular and respiratory fitness, improved muscle strength and endurance, improved body composition, lower risk of traumatic injuries that occur during high-intensity activities, and improved mental health and well-being,” says Mitch Lomax, a pulmonologist and exercise physiologist at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom.
The sport has the added benefit of being accessible to people of all ages and among those with physical limitations - individuals for whom activities such as running or cycling can be more challenging.
“Swimming is an activity that can be performed across the age and ability spectrum found in other sports,” says Lori Sherlock, professor of exercise physiology, Ironman contender and coordinator of aquatic therapy at West Virginia University School of Medicine.
Good for the heart
Perhaps the most important benefit of swimming is that it promotes heart health. Research shows that the practice also improves circulation and cardiovascular efficiency, so the risk of heart attack and stroke is reduced.
“Swimming is a whole-body rhythmic and dynamic activity that raises your heart rate and effectively lowers your blood pressure,” says Hirofumi Tanaka, co-author of several swim-related studies and director of the Cardiovascular Aging Research Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin. Research shows that it reduces blood pressure, in part by reducing the hardening or stiffness of blood vessels and by lowering oxidative stress and inflammation levels throughout the body.
Swimming also affects the relationship between your cardiovascular and respiratory systems because your lungs work harder to meet the demands of a rising heart rate.
“The hydrostatic pressure of swimming in water combined with the increase in central blood volume challenges the respiratory system and makes inhalation more challenging than when breathing on land,” says Sherlock.
This process increases lung capacity and strengthens the heart muscle, “and significantly increases the efficiency of the cardiovascular system,” says John Whyte, a practicing physician in Washington D.C. and chief medical officer at WebMD.
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Good for every muscle in the body
Swimming also has a huge impact on the musculoskeletal system because the viscosity and density of the water provide resistance to each swim stroke, requiring the use and strengthening of muscles.
“To propel yourself forward, swimming requires the use of many major muscle groups in the body,” says Heather Massey, a lecturer and sports scientist at the University of Portsmouth.
These include core muscles, hip flexors, neck muscles, arm, hand and shoulder muscles, chest and back muscles, plus gluteus, and leg and foot muscles. “It's probably safe to assume that if you can name a muscle, it's likely used at some point during swimming,” Lomax says.
This unique form of water resistance has the added benefit of strengthening and toning muscles, “without the wear and tear associated with weightlifting,” Whyte says. It's also often seen as an advantage that one can get more toned muscles without having to deal with the inconvenience of sweat on their clothes and on their face, “which really discourages some people from exercising more often,” says Christopher Travers, an exercise physiologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
Studies show that swimming also increases range of motion, reduces joint pain, improves flexibility, improves posture and slows down the aging process. It has also been shown to help people with multiple sclerosis and arthritis, and is good for blood sugar control.
“Swimming facilitates glucose uptake and utilization via insulin-independent mechanisms and improves insulin sensitivity,” explains Massey.
Research shows that sport is also good for boosting metabolism and that repeated swims and movements can burn a host of calories. A public health analysis found that a person weighing 70kg burns 281 calories per hour by treading water or swimming at a moderate pace but can burn as many as 704 calories per hour by swimming frisim at an intense pace.
Butterfly swimming burns as many as 774 calories per hour. In these ways, swimming can “help with weight-loss goals,” says Matthew Anastasi, a physician and sports medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona.
One caveat to this is that swimming in cold water is known to cool down the blood circulating around the hypothalamus, which controls appetite, making swimmers more likely to eat after exercise than people who participate in other sports.
In addition to the effect cold water has on the hypothalamus, the body also has to work harder to maintain its core temperature in cold water, “which leads to an increase in hunger,” Whyte says. He says this tendency is something you can be aware of and resist if you swim to get rid of unwanted weight.
Social and mental health benefits
Swimming also affects the brain and relationships in sometimes unexpected ways. Studies show that movement through water increases blood flow to the brain and causes a release of the hormones serotonin and dopamine. In these ways, swimming improves mood disorders and has even been shown to improve memory function.
“Swimming has also been shown to reduce stress levels, improve negative emotional states, and even reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, thanks to the meditative nature of rhythmic breathing and the calming effect of water,” Whyte says. The practice also helps some people sleep better, most likely because of its stress-relieving benefits and physical exertion requirements.
Not only is swimming good for your mental health, it's a wonderful way to connect and engage with others in your community, Anastasi says.
It can also help strengthen relationships closer to home. Tanaka points to a study he co-authored that analyzed nearly 200 swimmers showing that people who swim often enjoy more active and satisfying sex lives, and with fewer performance-related problems such as erectile dysfunction and dyspareunia.
Benefits available to all
The best thing, say the exercise physiologists, is that the cardiovascular, neurological and musculoskeletal benefits that come from swimming aren't limited only to young athletes.
“Swimming is a physical activity that can be performed across the entire age spectrum,” says Sherlock. One reason is that the buoyancy of the water reduces the strain on muscle and joint tissue, making exercise accessible to many people.
“Swimming transcends physical limitations so that even individuals who have neurological, orthopedic, cardiovascular, respiratory or musculoskeletal disorders or diseases can all benefit from it,” she explains.
The density of the water also provides support and reduces the risk of falls found more commonly in activities such as running or playing active land-based sports.
“Because swimming occurs in a hypogravity environment and is a low-intensity activity, it reduces the risk of traumatic fractures compared to high-intensity activities,” Lomax says. This is one reason why swimming and hydrotherapy are used to help people heal from an injury or certain medical conditions, Travers explains.
He says the water's support also makes swimming a more accessible exercise solution for people who are overweight or obese - a condition that affects about 4 in 10 Americans.
How to get started
As accessible as swimming is, the sport has a learning curve because swimming holds and proper techniques need to be practiced. If you don't know how to swim, “a good place to start is to follow a swim program at your local YMCA, health club, or municipal swimming hall,” Anastasi says.
He says most of these places offer swimming lessons for beginners, and some also offer programs for people who are advanced or competitive swimmers. Hiring a swim coach is also advisable if more one-on-one help is desired.
Many community facilities also offer stand-alone water aerobics classes that do not require one to be able to swim, but still provide the support and many of the benefits that come from exercising in water. Some experts recommend a mix of both swimming and other water-related workouts when starting out.
“Performing one or two swim lengths followed by waterwalks or jogging and repeating this sequence may seem more accessible to beginners,” Sherlock says.
Because of how physically demanding swimming can be, Lomax recommends incorporating rest days into your workout schedule when you get started to allow your muscles to rest and recover. “As you become more fit and more accustomed to the demands of swimming, back-to-back sessions will pose much less of a problem,” she says.
Above all, as with any form of exercise, it's important to make the experience enjoyable to ensure you stick with it long-term. “Swimming is not just a workout but an enjoyable and invigorating experience that can improve your physical health, mental well-being and quality of life,” says Whyte. “Dive in, and let the transformative journey begin.”
Source: National Geographic
