Not only recreation or sport swimming is in fact one of the best health workouts. Many people who cannot do aerobic exercises because of various problems such as arthritis, spinal cord injuries and low back pain find swimming very beneficial.
Swimming provides the same results as walking or running without putting stress on the knees, ankles, legs and back, it helps strengthen shoulders and abdominal muscles, the heart and lungs.
Regular swimming builds endurance and cardio-vascular fitness, stimulates circulation, promotes healthy breathing and tones the upper arms as well as combats the aging process. Water resistance is greater than air resistance so your muscles have to work harder. Without over working the heart, swimming improves the body's use of oxygen.
The best strokes for a whole body workout are freestyle, breaststroke and backstroke. Swimming regularly puts you in fantastic shape you feel great and become fitter and are able to swim longer. Experts recommend beginners start with 12 - 20 minutes of swimming and once you become more efficient you will find the ability to swim longer.
A water exercise routine should start with a warm up for about 5 - 10 minutes. One of the easiest things to do to warm up is a water walk. Stretching in generally recommended by doctors and fitness trainers to prevent injury and relieve chronic back pain. While stretching is good and beneficial too much can be damaging to the body.
Swimming can help you lose weight, on average a swimmer can burn as many calories an hour as one who runs for six miles in one hour.
Swimming is extremely relaxing more oxygen flows to your muscles this forces you to regulate your breathing, it is a terrific fun sport as well as a great way to stay healthy.
Swimming without a goal: Without a definitive goal you will quickly lose interest in swimming. Your goal could be anything from improved average or peak lap times - to weight loss, socialising or race conditioning. Keeping a specific goal in mind and tracking your progress over time towards that goal is crucial to the success of your program and maintaining motivation.
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