Swimming is a great activity that everyone can enjoy throughout the year. If you are someone who doesn’t know how to swim, you are seriously missing out. Swimming is one of the best exercises a person can do, not to mention it’s one of the few exercises which uses the whole body. It’s an effective way to stay in shape, lose weight, as well as have fun. There are many benefits to swimming that everyone should have the chance to take advantage of.
Understanding Swimming and its Benefits
1. Safe Workout – Swimming is one of the easiest and most beneficial forms of exercise. Not only is it an aerobic exercise that people of all ages can enjoy, it is very low impact. Being completely surrounded by water takes the pressure off your joints. This is what makes swimming a great workout or even therapy for someone with joint pain or injuries.
2. Increases muscle tone and strength – Resistance exercises are the best way to increase muscle tone and strength. Water creates more resistance than air, which forces you to work harder. In fact, you have to work 12 times harder than a workout on land. Not only are you using your whole body with every stroke, but you’re doing that while making your body exert 12 times more power. This helps you develop stronger, toned muscles.
3. Stress Reliever – Life can tend to get very stressful with so many things going on. Coming in contact with the water loosens your muscles and opens up the mind allowing you to relax. The rhythm of the strokes forces you to concentrate on the movements, letting you take your mind off everything and enjoy yourself.
4. Social – Swimming is a great way to meet and spend time with other people. Not only can you exercise, but you can also talk and spend time with friends and family. It’s a fun activity that can be done all year round, and is one of the few activities that allows you to interact with people of all ages.
5. Strengthens Heart – Swimming is an endurance sport, which of course makes it an excellent cardiovascular exercise. It builds your heart muscle by making it larger and allowing it to pump blood at a faster rate. This in turn creates an increase in blood circulation, which is good not only for the heart but also for the whole body.
6. Improves Flexibility – Unlike gym equipment that usually uses only one or two parts of the body, swimming uses many body parts at once. Swimming uses a wide range of motion that helps joints and ligaments stay loose and flexible. With every stroke, when you reach forward, you lengthen your body, making you more efficient in the water, as well as stretching out your whole body.
7. Weight Control and Loss – Swimming is recognized as one of the best calorie burning exercises, which is great for weight loss and control. It’s up to you how many calories you burn, but on average you lose about 3 calories per pound of body weight per mile you swim. When turned into a regular routine of at least 3-4 times a week for 30 minutes you’ll be able to efficiently lose weight.
Kenny is a baby Bottlenose dolphin, of the genus Tursiops, one of the most common and well-known members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphin. He is very playful and friendly and loves to frequently leap above the water surface. Kenny plays with water toys, enjoys making bubble rings, and plays well with other dolphins or other animals.