The Health Benefits of Swimming

It should come as no surprise to most of us that swimming has innumerable health benefits. What might be more surprising is that the benefits are wider ranging than just “fitness”.

Swimming is especially beneficial for people that can’t tolerate high impact exercises like running. It works almost every muscle group efficiently, and helps with cardiovascular fitness too. These benefits are even greater for people who are less fit – the heavier you are, the more calories you burn doing the same amount of exercise. Working out in water is much kinder to weight bearing joints, meaning a workout can be less painful, and way less likely to make existing issues worse.

It can be as social or as solitary as you make it, so swimming can mean you get valuable “head space”, or a bit more “me time”. Don’t let anyone tell you that heads-up breaststroke whilst catching up with your bestie’s gossip isn’t good for you – you’re still moving, and that’s better than not moving at all!

Because it’s low impact, swimming can be great for people recovering from injury or illness (check with your doctor first). You can swim whilst pregnant, and it’s suitable no matter your age.

Even better, swimming can help with stress, with insomnia, and with low mood. We know any exercise is great for depression, and anecdotally, wild swimming is especially helpful – but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t work on your stroke or your confidence in the pool. Counter current units like the HeatForm Velocity can be really useful for allowing you to focus on just one aspect of your swim – nail your stroke first, then your breathing, for example.

If you’re asthmatic, a saltwater pool that doesn’t use chemical chlorine is ideal. Any form of aerobic exercise is great for heart and lung health, but swimming’s breathing discipline makes it especially good for lung capacity. Plus, the humid environment of an indoor pool can make exercise more comfortable and decrease the chances of an exercise induced asthma attack.