Swimming is a great way to give your body a workout without getting too sweaty. It can help strengthen your muscles, improve your heart health and lower your blood pressure. It’s also a fun, social sport that can build friendships with other swimmers. It’s a great form of exercise that’s accessible to almost everyone, regardless of age or fitness level and can be a huge benefit to anyone’s weekly physical activity goal.
Swimming can be a great exercise for kids as it builds strength, coordination and endurance. It also helps children develop a healthy lifestyle, and can increase confidence and self-esteem. Children often learn faster when they take swimming lessons at the same time each week, rather than attending one lesson occasionally, as it allows skills to build on top of each other.
There are many different swim strokes, each using a different set of muscles, and all providing a great full-body workout. Swimming can also be a good cardiovascular exercise, strengthening the heart and lungs. In fact, it’s been found that people who regularly swim are 50% less likely to die from heart disease than those who do not.
As an added bonus, swimming can be a low-impact exercise that’s easier on joints than other types of cardio exercise such as running. It’s also a great exercise for older adults as it can help to ease back pain, reduce inflammation and improve balance and mobility.
A key to swimming well is learning to relax and focus your mind. It’s a great stress reliever and can help improve your sleep. The mental concentration that swimming requires can be a great skill for other areas of your life such as work, study or family.
Swimming also gives you a great upper body workout, allowing you to use different muscle groups each time you move. It’s also great for improving your overall flexibility and can be a really effective technique for weight loss.
The biggest hurdle for new swimmers is putting their face in the water. This seems like a massive step but it’s really not as bad as it sounds. Just spend a little time each visit practising the breathing techniques involved. If you’re still nervous try going for a swim wearing a snorkel to get your head used to the feeling of being underwater.
The best thing you can do to progress as a swimmer is to stick at it. Keeping up with pool visits and lessons consistently will accelerate your learning as skills compound on top of each other. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your coach if you’re struggling with something. They’re there to help you achieve your goals so make the most of their expertise and guidance. Remember to support and encourage others too, and be respectful of others’ performances, even if you think they could do with some tweaking to their technique.