7 Reasons To Go Swimming

By Brittany Werner, MS, RDN

Swimming can make over your muscles, drastically improve your cardiac fitness, and turn back the aging clock. Need more reasons to suit up? Check out these seven reasons to

dive in.

1. It Counts as Both Cardio and Strength Training

In swimming, if you aren't moving constantly, you're sinking. Plus, water is about 800 times denser than air, so your muscles are under constant resistance.

2. It's easy on the impact

Yes, the “low impact” means swimming is a great workout for those with injuries or whose weight makes impact activities (such as running) painful. But it may also mean more results.

You can swim at higher intensities on a regular basis without feeling wear and tear on your body. You could have a super-hard workout one day and still be in the pool the next. As a bonus, research in the International Journal of Sports Medicine shows swimming is better than straight-up rest for exercise recovery, for when you want to take

it easy.

3. It's great for your lungs

When your face is underwater, oxygen is at a premium. This forces your body to use oxygen more efficiently. Plus, it learns to take in more fresh air with every breath and expel more carbon dioxide with every exhalation. A study in the Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology even found that swimmers had better tidal volume (the amount of air that moves in and out of the lungs during relaxed breathing) compared to runners. This results in lower resting heart rates and lower blood pressure.

4. Anyone Can Do It

Whether you're recovering from an injury, pregnant, a new mom, or an Ironman competitor, swimming can give you a great workout. You control the pace, intensity, and what you get out of every dip in the pool.

5. Swimming slashes stress

While exercise-induced endorphins will do wonders for your stress levels, getting in the water for your workout may have its own special brand of mood-boosting benefits. Being submerged in water dulls the amount of sensory information that bombards your body, helping to bring on feelings of calm, according to a study published in Pain Research & Management. No wonder you love soaking in the bathtub.

6. It hits otherwise unused muscles

Most people don't sit at a desk with their arms over their head, but when you're in the pool, your arms are all over the place, meaning you need to work your often-neglected upper shoulder muscles. Plus, since so much of swimming is about staying balanced and level in the water, swimming helps you develop the deep stabilizing muscles in your core and lower back that we often miss.

7. Swimming can improve brain function

Blood flow to the brain increased by up to 14 percent when men submerged themselves in water up to their hearts, according to a Journal of Physiology study. Researchers believe water's pressure on the chest cavity may have something to do with it, and they are now studying whether water-based workouts improve blood flow to the brain better than do land-

based ones.