Summer is upon us and that means it's time to hit the beaches and the pools. Sure, working out at the gym is easy on a cloudy, 34-degree day in February but what about on a sunny 75-degree day in mid June? It gets much more difficult. Swimming is one of the best exercises around and should be put into every good summer workout routine in addition to your daily gym sessions. It doesn’t matter if your swimming laps in your backyard or diving into the ocean for a mile swim, you will be receiving some amazing benefits from a great workout. Don’t believe our team at Relentless Fitness as to why it is such an incredible form of exercise? Here are just a few reasons why swimming should be in every summer workout routine in addition to the gym.
Swimming is an amazing full body workout
Swimming has been proven to be one of the best full body workouts. Whether you are lazily cruising the pool while doing the backstroke or nimbly hitting the water with the breaststroke, you are getting the most bang for your buck. Not only will you work out all of your body but swimming also provides the benefits of burning, toning muscle, and building endurance are just a few benefits on the near endless list of reasons why you should be diving into the waves a few times a week.
Improves Mental Health
Swimming doesn’t just work your body, it also helps improve your mind. A study has found that swimming just a few days a week leads to astonishing mental health improvements. Swimming in warm water was found by the study to cause you to distress, fight depression, and just all around improve your mood. On top of these amazing benefits swimmers have been found to have more confidence, improved mental health, and do better in school than other athletes. The same study discovered that all of these benefits were shown to be more pronounced in people suffering from disabilities when they began to swim regularly. Why not dive into the water and workout your mind as well as your body?
Swimming is a perfect no impact full body workout
One of the major benefits of exercising in water is that it gives you a zero impact workout. While this may not matter much to younger people, older individuals will find swimming to be a much more effective and body friendly workout. While many doctors have found that running after the age of 40 can due damage to your legs and body due to the pounding of your feet, swimming offers an alternative with little to no side effects. The weightlessness of the water also soothes the pain of sore muscles, granting even the oldest individuals to enjoy an amazing workout to keep them in the best shape possible.
Improves Lung Efficiency
Swimming is the perfect exercise to train your lungs and even improve their health! Researchers have discovered a link between improved lung health and swimmers. What does this mean? Well to put it simply, your lungs get an amazing workout from swimming! This translates over into other sports activities such as running and biking. The better your body can process oxygen, the less likely you are to become winded and run out of breath. This also has a better hidden benefits as well. A study conducted in 2007 discovered that there is a link between cardiovascular diseases and low lung capacity. Giving your lungs a strong workout in the water will grant you longer-term protection against disease and improve them? Better hit the water!
With so many benefits from swimming they only question left: Why aren’t you heading to the nearest pool for a fantastic workout right now?