Curious about the benefits of swimming that extend beyond fitness and weight loss? Here are 10 you might not have considered.
Swimming is one of the best ways to lose weight and get fit. It’s a fun recreational activity that's easy on the joints and great for people of all ages. It can also be tailored to suit the person's ability, whether they are nimble and active or need something gentle and low-impact.
But fitness and weight loss aren’t the only benefits of swimming.
Here are 10 reasons why you should incorporate swimming into your routine:
1. Stress Relief
Perhaps the number one reason why people love swimming, even if they don’t realize it, is the fact that it’s great for managing stress. The rhythmic motion and water immersion create a calming effect, helping to reduce anxiety and mental stress. Many people spend their days thinking about getting home and jumping into the pool because the moment they hit the water, their stress melts away.
2. Improved Sleep Quality
Swimming can help regulate sleep patterns, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. Even people who suffer from sleep issues such as insomnia find that swimming helps reduce their symptoms. If you’re looking for a way to help your young child burn off energy during the summer so they can sleep well, swimming is a great solution.
3. Clears Your Mind and Increases Focus
Swimming helps clear your mind, increase focus, and sharpen memory and concentration. It’s perfect for people with short attention spans who want to boost their creativity. It’s even effective for helping people who have attention issues like ADHD.
4. Supports Healthy Joints
Swimming is one of the best ways to keep your joints healthy. The low-impact movement is perfect for people of all ages and supports joint mobility and flexibility without causing strain.
5. Enhances Lung Capacity and Breathing Control
Swimming is a great way to support healthy breathing. It can even help you expand your lung capacity, so you’re able to breathe deeper, making it a great option for people with asthma and other issues that affect their breathing.
6. Encourages Mind-Body Connection
Many people don’t think much about the connection between their minds and bodies, but it’s one of the biggest challenges of modern living. Our sedentary lives have disconnected us from our bodies. Swimming requires coordination and rhythm, enhancing your awareness of your body’s movement and alignment. Often, when someone incorporates movement into their daily routine, they find that many minor, chronic, and annoying aches and pains disappear.
7. Social Connection and Community
Whether you swim at home with family and friends or join a class or free swim at a community pool, it’s a chance to come together with others and reduce feelings of isolation.
8. Improves Balance and Coordination
Swimming strengthens your core and improves overall motor control. Swimming can also improve balance and coordination, not just in the water but on dry land too.
9. Therapeutic for Chronic Pain
People with chronic pain, even if it's only mild to moderate, can struggle to stay active, which can create a cycle of pain. The less they move, the more problematic their condition, but movement is difficult when you’re in pain. Swimming is a great way to break this cycle.
This is especially true when you swim in warm water with added massage features. We love the Hayward Hydrotherapy Jet-Air III Series Nozzle (White) [SP1437PAKB] because it helps reduce symptoms for people with chronic pain of all types, including arthritis and fibromyalgia.
10. Promotes a Sense of Accomplishment
No matter your age, you’ll feel better when you learn new things. Mastering new strokes or swimming longer distances can boost self-esteem and provide a sense of progress and achievement.
Bring Home All the Benefits of Swimming
Would you love to incorporate swimming into your wellness routine by adding a pool to your home or upgrading your current pool?
We can help. Pool Products Canada offers a wide range of pool products and accessories to help you make your swimming experience optimal.
From lighting, to automatic systems for cleaning and maintenance, to ways to heat your pool – an essential aspect of using your pool for wellness – you’ll find everything you need for your pool. One of our favorites is the Hayward 250,000 BTU Universal H-Series Propane Low NOx Heater [W3H250FDP], which can help you extend the swimming season after the weather starts to cool.
Not sure how to upgrade your pool? Our reps are here in Canada and ready to help. Reach out to us by email, chat, or phone.