Experts and sports enthusiasts have been preaching it for many years, numerous scientific studies have confirmed it and our own experience has also shown it: swimming is healthy. Yes, maybe it’s even the healthiest sport there is. Have you still lacked the motivation to buy an annual subscription to the local swimming pool and swim laps regularly? That changes when you read the top 7 reasons why swimming is so healthy lifeguard training.
1. Prevent pregnancy discomfort in the water
Many pregnant women find the movement in the water pleasant. The buoyancy makes the body feel light. Joints that have to carry the higher weight in everyday life are relieved. Typical pregnancy symptoms, such as water retention and varicose veins, can also be alleviated. Because the water pressure acts on the legs like a natural compression stocking. And very important: when swimming, the risk of injury is very low!
2. Swimming strengthens the heart
Sporty swimming gets the cardiovascular system going and trains the heart muscle. The water pressure constricts the blood vessels on the skin’s surface. The result: the blood is pushed back into the chest cavity and the heart has to work harder. In the long term, the heart adapts to the load and becomes more efficient.
3. Relieve back pain and joint problems through water sports
Do you often suffer from joint and back pain? Then swimming is for you! Because in the water the joints and intervertebral discs are relieved. You can also strengthen your torso and back muscles with backstroke swimming. In addition, arthrosis patients in particular benefit from sports in the water. The following recommendation applies to them: move a lot, but put little strain on them. This is exactly what is possible with swimming. It is important that those affected pay attention to their body feeling.
4. Swimming as a Natural Help for Asthma
Swimming makes the respiratory muscles more resilient and supports the transport of mucus from the lungs – all of which benefits asthmatics. However, beginners should make sure that they slowly get used to the effort and include a warm-up phase and regular rest periods. Also important: Asthmatics should consult their doctor before exercising and be well adjusted to medication.
5. The best sport when overweight? Swim!
The water buoyancy has several advantages for overweight people. You can exercise gently in the pool without overexerting yourself and improve body awareness over time. Since the circulation, bones and joints of people who are very overweight are often pre-stressed, swimming is an ideal, gentle introduction to regular exercise. And especially for untrained people, the low risk of injury is a plus.
6. Swimming as a full body workout
When you swim, you strengthen all muscle groups, especially if you vary your swimming style: breaststroke trains your chest, shoulder, arm and leg muscles in particular. When crawling, the strength comes mainly from the arms, but you also train your shoulders and torso. The core and back muscles benefit most from backstroke swimming.
7. Lose weight healthily with swimming
Swimming can also score in terms of calorie consumption – one more reason to replace the gym with the swimming pool: An 80-kilogram person uses about 344 kilocalories per hour when swimming slowly breaststroke, and about 768 when swimming fast breaststroke to melt away 900 calories. The calorie consumption in the water is so high because the body needs energy to compensate for the temperature difference to the water.
However, if you want to lose weight by swimming, you have to train regularly. The European College of Sport Science (ECSS) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ASCM) recommend 250 minutes of moderate exercise per week to lose weight. That’s about four hours of exercise a week. However, to ensure that swimming remains healthy and does not lead to injuries, you should not overload yourself at the beginning and slowly increase your training workload.
