5 Ways Swimming Can Help Your Everyday Life
One of the most common desires a person can have is to live a healthy lifestyle, which opens up many opportunities in both the present and future. Swimming can accomplish just this, as it is a perfect exercise for the entire body that can be done by people of all ages and fitness levels. Swimming can help strengthen weak joints, prevent injury, and help with injury recovery. As a result, it is one of the most versatile forms of exercise. You may already know of these obvious benefits, but did you know swimming has many additional benefits beyond fitness.
1. Meeting New People
Photo Courtesy: Shanna Lockwood / Auburn Athletics
Whether you’re new in town or hoping to expand your social circle, participating in the sport of swimming is a great way to meet new people. Sure, you will end up staring at the bottom of the pool for a good portion of the session, but there are still several ways swimming can improve your social life. If you’re an adult who wants to step outside of your comfort zone, joining a swimming group can provide this challenge while allowing you to meet like-minded people. From youth through college, swimming on teams is a great opportunity to meet new friends. For people of all ages, in fact, swimming can provide strong social bonds that can really last, whether you’re working together towards a common goal or just spending time together for a relaxing swim.
2. Confidence Booster
Swimming can help us in everyday life by increasing our self-esteem. This can be accomplished through the attainment of clearly defined objectives accomplished through perseverance and determination. Self-esteem, defined as the perception we have of our personal value and quality, can also increase through sports that promote personal fulfillment and the pursuit of happiness. Swimming is a sport that can allow both.
No matter what your purpose is in the pool, whether you are competing on a team, swimming for leisure, or swimming for fitness, it is beneficial to have a goal in mind. Working towards a goal, such as getting a lifetime best, learning something new about a fellow lap swimmer, or becoming more fit, can boost your confidence beyond the pool into all aspects of daily life.
3. Calorie Burning and Weight Loss
Photo Courtesy: MIKE LEWIS / ISL
Another major lifestyle benefit of swimming is how effective it can be in burning calories to lose weight. While weight loss/fat burning may not be a priority for everybody, if this is your goal, it can help your confidence, boost your mood, and reduce disease risk. As with any exercise, the number of calories you burn by swimming depends on the intensity and duration with which you do it. An hour of swimming burns almost as many calories as running, without all the impact on your bones and joints. While you are increasing your cardiovascular and lung strength, you are also building muscle and losing fat. Losing this excess weight regardless of your chosen activity will always help promote healthy bones and joints, and swimming will help achieve these goals.
4. Stress Reliever
Stress caused by work, education, financial struggles, or relationship conflicts can all cause mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Getting older can also affect mental health. Swimming can also be a mindfulness activity that helps you relax while helping to get you into shape. Any swim activity, whether it is swimming laps, aerobic work, or even playing with your children, can provide an escape from stressful days. Importantly, high-level swimming ability is not necessary. Start small and build up your swimming levels at a pace that works for you. Even small amounts of swimming can give you a natural energy boost.
5. A Change of Pace
If you aren’t accustomed to being in the pool, but perhaps have always wanted to give swimming a try, you will find that it can be a fantastic alternative to some of the more physical sports, particularly as you age. With most physical activities out there, such as boxing, basketball, hockey, football, your body takes an absolute beating. Taking time away from these sports to nurse an injury can be relieving. Whether you’ve noticed some new pain in your back or you are recovering from knee surgery, getting in the pool can be a good chance of scenery and also an excellent recovery option. As with any form of exercise, though, be sure to check in with your doctor before getting in the pool following an injury or post-surgery.
Although swimming is not typically the first activity that comes to mind for somebody looking to meet new people, build confidence, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being, it is easily among the best physical activities someone can do for all these reasons and more! Considering all of the amazing benefits swimming can provide you in so many aspects of your life, don’t hesitate to grab a pair of goggles and jump in the pool!
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.