Swimming works your whole body, improving cardiovascular conditioning, muscle strength,
endurance, posture, and flexibility all at the same time. Your cardiovascular system in particular
benefits because swimming improves your body’s use of oxygen without overworking your
heart. As you become more fit and are able to swim longer, your resting heart rate and
respiratory rate will be reduced, making blood flow to the heart and lungs more efficient.
Simply put, some call swimming the perfect form of exercise.
Additional Health Benefits of Swimming
Whole body conditioning: Swimming tones your upper and lower body because you’re using
almost all of your major muscle groups. The best strokes for all-over body toning are the
freestyle, breaststroke and backstroke.
Low risk of injury: There is a low risk for swimming injuries because there’s no stress on your
bones, joints or connective tissues due to buoyancy and the fact that you weigh 1/10th less in
water. If you’re looking for a safe daily workout routine, swimming is ideal because you can
rigorously work out with a reduced chance of swimming injuries. Many athletes supplement
their training with swimming.
Low-impact exercise: So many people can reap the benefits of swimming. Pregnant women
benefit from swimming because it helps strengthen the shoulder and abdominal muscles,
which can be strained when carrying a baby. The elderly, women who have had a
mastectomy, and those recovering from an injury often turn to swimming or water aerobic
exercises because it’s low impact, helps relax stiff muscles and isn’t weight-bearing.
Swimming also increases circulation.
Improve blood pressure: Studies have shown that a workout routine that includes swimming
can help reduce and possibly prevent high blood pressure, which lowers your risk for heart
disease and stroke.
Stress reduction: You don’t have to be a water sign in the zodiac to feel the meditative and
healing properties of water. Swimming is extremely relaxing because it allows more oxygen to
flow to your muscles and forces you to regulate your breathing. It’s also a great way to relieve
stress. Our bodies are made up of about 60% water so it’s no wonder why some feel such a
draw to the water.
A great way to burn calories: With regard to weight loss, fitness swimming gives you the best
aerobic workout with the least amount of joint stress or impact. The amount of calories burned
during a swimming routine will vary based on their weight, the intensity of their workout,
conditioning level, and metabolism. The table below will provide comparative information
about calories burned for different types of activities.
Recreational water activities can have substantial benefits to health and well-being.
Swimming pools, beaches, lakes, rivers and spas provide environments for rest and
relaxation, physical activity, exercise, pleasure and fun. Yet they also present risks to health.
Polluted and unsafe recreational waters can lead to infections, exposure to chemicals,
injuries and death.
New WHO Guidelines for safe recreational water environments are aimed at reducing
bathing-related death and disability, and making beaches and recreational waters safer
places to relax, exercise and have fun.
Recreational waters for positive health
Water-based recreational activities have long been recognized as having a positive influence
on health and well-being. Since ancient times, bathing in mineral waters has been reputed to
cure a variety of illnesses. While there have been few scientific studies of these postulated
effects, there is no doubt of the benefits of warm water therapy in pain relief, joint mobility
and relaxation.
These days, more and more people are taking up recreational activities in and around water,
and these are an important part of leisure and tourism around the world. Swimming is
recognized as one of the most beneficial forms of exercise and is also an important therapy
for rehabilitation after operations such as hip replacements.
Hazards of recreational water use
Water-based recreation, however, can expose people to a variety of health risks, which vary
according to the type of water, geographical location and local conditions. These are linked
to physical, microbial and chemical hazards.
Physical hazards: drowning and injuries
Drowning is one of the unequivocal dangers of recreational water use. An estimated 400 000
people drown each year(1). In children, drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental
deaths (more information on drowning).
