Surely now that summer is coming, you want to be cool on the beach or in the pool. These moments are ideal so that you can practice a sport that helps you be healthier and lose those extra pounds. One of these water-related sports is swimming. It is a special sport because it is individual and can be practiced throughout life. We can approach this sport in many ways. From activity to move and burn calories, to competition, relaxation or strengthening of the muscles involved in beach lifeguard
Since this sport is very good for your health, in this post we will focus on explaining the Advantages of swimming.
Swimming as a sport
When we talk about swimming, we are referring to a type of sport that can be practiced from when we are a few months old to 80 years old or even older. This ability to swim allows us to move in water thanks to a series of rhythmic movements that we perform with certain muscles involved. These rhythmic movements are fully coordinated both inferiorly and superiorly. The body allows us to stay on the surface of the water to overcome the resistance it offers us.
Performing a sport such as swimming requires the use of technique so that these movements can be performed in an appropriate manner. In addition, during swimming we improve both our speed and our endurance. Our body is not designed to swim, so we have to make movements that are not natural and much less intuitive. The advantage of these movements is that various health benefits are obtained as we will see later.
The main goals pursued by swimming as a sport also take into account other special requirements, as no other sporting discipline does. For example, asthmatics, pregnant women, epileptics and some people suffering from physical or mental decline may benefit from the practice of swimming.
The goals of swimming are different. One of them is the utilitarian approach. That is, it covers the needs of human beings, such as saving life. If we fall from a boat or ship during a shipwreck, knowing how to swim is essential if we are to save a life. Another type of sports goals are those educational goals.
Educational goals are those that, apart from teaching swimming, can provide complete training for the person from motor, affective and cognitive perspectives.
Another goal would be the hygienic and sanitary approach. The improvement of the physical condition is also accompanied. These goals can be included in both competitive and recreational approaches.
Advantages of swimming as a sport
After analyzing the goals of swimming as a sport, we will analyze what are the benefits of swimming.
The first benefit is to create little impact on the bones and joints when we do it. Unlike other sports like running, we find ourselves with a low impact sport. When we submerge our body in water to swim, we realize that it weighs less because we are floating. This causes us to have a direct impact on the asphalt or the dissatisfaction of the knee when resting on the ground. In this way, we ensure that the joints do not wear out and can be better preserved.
When we swim, we have more flexibility and elasticity. Most muscle groups in our body are used when swimming. Both upper and lower body, trunk and head. In this way, we achieve that the joints are more flexible and the muscles can be toned and strengthened. S. All in all, the back muscles become quite strong.
These advantages make swimming a highly recommended sport for people who have a hernia, back pain or various hip problems. Another benefit is fat burning. Swimming involves whole body movement and muscle performance. Depending on your weight, age and the intensity at which you swim, you can burn between 500 and 700 kcal per hour of swimming. If you start losing weight, this is your chance.
Health benefits of swimming
Now we will see the direct benefits that swimming has on health. A regular swimmer can fight against certain chronic diseases such as asthma, cholesterol and diabetes. It is an aerobic exercise that, even if it is of low intensity, takes place for a long period of time. This helps in lowering blood cholesterol levels and makes it more sensitive to insulin. In this way, we manage to reduce blood glucose levels.
It improves the respiratory system and lung capacity. By constantly performing resistance swimming, we are able to improve our respiratory capacity. In addition, swimming submerges one under water while we are tired, thus increasing lung capacity.
The neural and cognitive benefits occur when swimming because we activate both hemispheres of the brain. In addition, all four lobes are also activated. This causes more nerve connections and there is already more activation of the brain when it receives more oxygen.
Similar to the previous benefit, there are improvements in the cardiorespiratory system. It improves oxygen consumption by 10% and the heart can pump up to 18% more blood. This helps improve circulation, slowing the heart rate by pumping more blood per beat. Breathing exercises include increased endurance.