Take Them Swimming: 5 Health Benefits of Getting Your Family to the Pool

Swimming can provide endless hours of fun. There are few things that bring up fond summer memories than time spent at the swimming pool. However, the activity also has significant health benefits. This makes it a great option for families looking to combine exercise and family together time. These five health benefits are why you should take your family swimming more often than not.

It Gives the Cardiovascular System a Workout

Like many other physical activities, swimming increases your heart rate and exercises your heart muscle. What’s better is that swimming gives you a great cardio workout without impact stress. This makes it an excellent choice for any member of your family who may have physical limitations when it comes to exercise. It is also great for people who don’t like sweating. The cool water will keep you from getting too warm, which actually lets you exercise comfortably for longer.

A good cardiovascular workout has a number of health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, strengthening bones, as well as lessening the risk of heart disease. It also will help your family sleep better, which has its own slew of health benefits.

It Builds Muscle and Strength

Swimming works out many different muscles, making it a very effective workout. In fact, it uses more muscles and areas of the body than any other workout. The core, the arms, the legs, the glutes, and the back are all benefited from exercising in the pool. The water itself also offers a resistance workout. Water resistance is about twelve times the amount of air resistance giving you an extra way to build that muscle. You can encourage your family to try out and learn different strokes, such as the breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly, to focus on different muscle groups.

It Alleviates Stress

Swimming helps reduce stress and anxiety. This is a general side effect of all exercises, but there is something even more calming about floating in the water and drifting away. Stress is a significant problem that can decrease quality of life and lead to serious medical conditions such as hypertension and heart attacks. Other conditions linked to stress levels include obesity, diabetes, mental illness, muscle tension, pain, and headaches. All the more reason to get out and swim!

It Helps in Maintaining a Healthy Weight

Water exercise is an important factor for everyone in your family to maintain a healthy weight. Fighting weight gain is a typical problem in America, especially at the time children enter puberty. Going swimming regularly instills healthy exercise habits in your children so they will be more likely to remain active throughout their lives. These habits will not only help them when they are kids but as they grow up. Be sure every member of your family knows how to swim by taking them to a good swim school.

It Aids in Breathing

While swimming, you are required to be aware of your breathing. Proper deep breathing improves the strength of your respiratory muscles and helps clean out your lungs. This focus on breathing encourages you to remain aware of how you breathe. This skill is very helpful in more ways than just swimming as it can be used in situations where you need to release tension and relax.

Swimming also helps improve posture because of how straight you must hold your back, which aids breathing while sitting down. This allows more oxygen to get to your brain, thus improving concentration.

The health benefits of swimming are many. It is a form of exercise that most anyone can participate in, from those with special health needs to those who are pregnant or arthritic. But aside from the health benefits, swimming will give your family some quality time together and create new memories together.