Surely now that summer is coming you like to be cool on the beach or in the pool. These moments are the ideal ones to be able to practice some sport that helps you to be healthier and lose those extra kilos. One of these sports related to water is swimming. It is a particular sport since it is individual and can be practiced throughout life. We can approach this sport in many ways. From an activity to move and burn calories, to competition, relaxation or strengthening the muscles involved.
Since this sport is very good for your health, in this post we are going to focus on explaining the Swimming benefits.
Swimming as a sport
When we talk about swimming, we are referring to a type of sport that can be practiced from when we are a few months old until we are 80 years old or even older. This ability to swim allows us to move in the water thanks to a series of rhythmic movements that we carry out with certain muscles involved. These rhythmic movements are completely coordinated both inferiorly and superiorly. The body allows us to stay on the surface of the water to overcome the resistance it offers us.
Performing a sport such as swimming implies using the technique so that these movements can be given in an appropriate way. In addition, during swimming we improve both our speed and our endurance. Our body has not been designed to swim, so we have to make movements that are not natural and much less intuitive. The advantage of these movements is that different health benefits are obtained as we will see later.
Main objectives
The main objectives pursued by swimming as a sport take into account other special requirements like no other sport discipline does. For example, asthmatics, pregnant women, epileptics and some people who suffer from some physical or mental reduction can be favored with the practice of swimming.
The goals of swimming are various. One of them is the utilitarian approach. That is, covering the needs of human beings such as saving life. If we fall from a boat or ship during a shipwreck, knowing how to swim is essential if we want to save life. Another type of more sporting objectives are those educational objectives.
The educational objectives are those that, apart from teaching swimming learning, can provide complete training to the person from the motor, affective and cognitive perspectives.
Another objective would be the hygienic and sanitary approach. The improvement in physical condition is accompanied as well. These objectives can be included in both competitive and recreational approaches.
Benefits of swimming as a sport
Once we have analyzed the objectives of swimming as a sport, we are going to analyze what the benefits of swimming are.
The first benefit is to produce a low impact on the bones and joints when we are doing it. Unlike other sports like running, we find ourselves with a low impact sport. When we submerge our body in the water to swim, we realize that it weighs less, since we are floating. This makes us not have a direct impact from the asphalt or knee resentment when we lean on the ground. In this way, we ensure that the joints do not wear out and can be better preserved.
When we are swimming, we have greater flexibility and elasticity. Most of the muscle groups in our body are used in swimming. Both the upper and lower body, trunk and head. In this way, we achieve that the joints are more flexible and the muscles can be toned and strengthened. SAll in all, the back muscles get quite strong.
These advantages make swimming a highly recommended sport for people who have hernias, low back pain or various hip problems. Another benefit is burning fat. Swimming involves a movement of the whole body and performance of the muscles. Depending on your weight, age and intensity at which you swim, you can burn between 500 and 700 kcal per hour swimming. If you are starting to lose weight, this is your chance.
Health benefits of swimming
Now we are going to see the direct benefits that swimming has on health. Whoever swims regularly can combat certain chronic diseases such as asthma, cholesterol and diabetes. It is an aerobic exercise that, even if it is of low intensity, takes place over a longer period. This helps lower blood cholesterol levels and makes it more sensitive to insulin. In this way, we manage to reduce blood glucose levels.
Improves the respiratory system and lung capacity. By continually exerting resistance to swim, we are able to improve our respiratory capacity. In addition, swimming also submerges one under the water at the same time that we are tired, so we increase our lung capacity.
Neural and cognitive benefits occur when swimming because we activate both hemispheres of the brain. In addition, all four lobes are also activated. This causes more neural links and there is already greater activation of the brain when it receives more oxygen.
Similar to the previous benefit, there are improvements in the cardiorespiratory system. It improves oxygen consumption by 10% and the heart can pump up to 18% more blood. This helps improve circulation, slowing your heart rate by pumping more blood per beat. Breathing exercises involve increased endurance.
Finally, it is interesting to mention that it also has certain psychological benefits. When we immerse ourselves in the water and concentrate on breathing, our body relaxes and the feeling of stress is reduced. For many people, it helps improve their symptoms of depression. Releasing endorphins is important in order to have a feeling of well-being in the body. In this way we can release the tensions we have and learn to be happier.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the benefits of swimming.