As most of us know, being dedicated to a sporting activity can be an excellent way to keep ourselves healthy while most importantly having fun. Being active is something that, no matter your age or prior experience, can greatly improve your life in a lot of ways. Exercising at home or at a gym, or even playing a game of Basketball with your friends every weekend are all things that if done routinely, will overall make you a healthier person. Today, so many different options are available that it might seem impossible to decide what you are going to pursue.
In this article, we will be listing some reasons to take up swimming. Admittedly, swimming might not have been one of your first choices, but after reading some of the benefits of the sport, you’ll realize just how well this sport suits anyone’s needs.
Here are a few reasons to get into swimming and the benefits of doing so.
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1. The benefits are great no matter when you start
If you are maybe feeling like you’ve missed your chance with other sports or, on the other hand, if you feel like you’re to young to get into most activities, then you’re in luck! Not only is swimming hugely useful to children, but the effects are also great in adults. If you’re looking to start your sporting career or add another activity to it, then this is an easy choice.
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2. It is beginner friendly
Unlike with a lot of other sports, with swimming you have much more freedom to decide how you’re going to approach a routine. You can plan out your schedule, how long each session will last, and you can gradually increase the amount as you get better and better. Deciding what works for you is very easy.
Even if you are having trouble there are many ways out there to help you put together your perfect plan. The thing is, there is always someone passionate about any sport that would gladly help you get started. Most schools and clubs have specific programs and categories for any age group and skill level. For example, this New Zealand based school fultonswimschool.co.nz, for example has a wide selection of levels that fit the student.
3. It is a “low impact sport”
We all know that whenever we start exercising, especially if we’ve been inactive for a long time, the following few days will be filled with body pains and difficulties doing daily tasks. Well this is not true for every sport. Some sports are considered low impact sports. What does that mean? Well, this basically means that it’s a sport that not only anybody, no matter their age or current athletic ability, can pick up with ease, but afterwards the strain and soreness is minimal, sometimes nonexistent. Biking, running, kayaking and skiing often appear on a recommendation list of this kind, but swimming almost always tops it.
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4. Improves your flexibility
Since most of the time you will be reaching, stretching and moving your arms and legs in wide motions, it’s no surprise that swimming will make you more flexible. If you’ve ever had difficulties reaching things or if you’ve ever felt pain after moving around a bit, a regular swimming routine will make those issues a thing of the past. You will be gradually improving your reach without even noticing, as this is one of the many new abilities you will obtain from taking up this amazing hobby.
5. It is beneficial to your appearance
With any form of exercise, along with making your life overall healthier, you of course improve your physical appearance. With swimming comes a more defined and pronounced muscle structure as well as a decrease in body fat. Another thing effected by swimming is your skin. Since your body will be more often covered in water, you won’t have to worry about keeping your skin hydrated. This effect is especially noticeable if you decide to swim in salt water.
Source: Harvard Health – Harvard University
6. A community
As with any sport, there are many people who are devoted enough who want to meet other people with a similar interest and share their love for the sport with those who might not be aware to all the great things about it. Other than teachers at schools and members of clubs, there are many online pages, blogs, websites, channels that offer a wide variety of swimming related content. There you can find guides, exercises, routines, interviews with world renowned athletes. A fantastic way to remain motivated is to see how much other people share the same passion as you, and are willing to help you out as well.
7. A viable career choice
With any sport comes the desire to improve. This, of course, creates an environment where competitions and tournaments are wide spread. For swimming there are countless competitions, local, international and even worldwide. The world champions event in swimming is held every two years in countries all over the world. Swimming is also an Olympic event. Of course, getting to a level where you can participate at such events will take serious practice and dedication, but even at a smaller level, swimming is a viable choice for making a good living.
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8. You won’t want to stop
Once you get going, you will quickly notice changes in you overall physical ability. That first swim you ever went on, the one that left you feeling exhausted, will seem easy after a few weeks of practicing. Once you realize just how much and how fast you are improving you won’t want to stop.
9. Many more reasons
Here are a few things that are also gained from going for regular swims.
A better bone structure and a healthier heart. Swimming can increase lung capacity and even make exercise related asthma less of a problem. Swimming is a great way to burn calories. It can stop you from feeling lazy, stressed or depressed. Studies have shown that people who swim have one of the biggest increase in life expectancy of all other athletes.
