Ever personally considered the activity of swimming? When last did you go for a swim? Can you even swim? Anyway, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is on and swimming is one of the most competitive sports outlined for the games. We look forward to the medals across all lengths.
Now, what is swimming? Swimming is the sport or activity of propelling oneself through water using the limbs.
People swim for various reasons. Some for social reasons (to bond) others for recreation or sports (that is competitive Swimming, just like would be done at the Olympics). Swimming is considered to be an important survival skill that should be acquired.
Swimming for recreation: Swimming is a great recreational activity for people of all ages. Recreational swimming can provide you with a low-impact workout and it’s also a good way to relax and feel good. Common swimming styles in recreational swimming are breaststroke, backstroke, side stroke and freestyle.
Competitive swimming: Some people who enjoy swimming want to take it to a competitive level. This can provide the health benefits of a vigorous workout as well as the fun and thrill of competition. The main strokes used in competitive swimming are breaststroke, freestyle, backstroke and butterfly. The distances swum in competition swimming can vary from 50 metres in a pool to much further distances in open water.
4 Health benefits of swimming: According to betterhealth.vic.gov.au, swimming is a great workout because you need to move your whole body against the resistance of the water. It is one of the most complete exercises. Here are some health benefits of swimming:
1. It keeps your heart rate up but takes some of the impact stress off your body. It builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness and helps maintain a healthy weight, healthy heart and lungs
2. It tones the muscles and builds strength, providing an all-over body workout, as nearly all of your muscles are used during swimming
3. Being a relaxing and peaceful form of exercise, swimming alleviates stress, improves coordination, balance, posture and flexibility
4. It provides good low-impact therapy for some injuries and conditions and it’s a pleasant way to cool down on a hot day
Being available in many places – you can swim in swimming pools, beaches, lakes, dams and rivers. Make sure that the environment you choose to swim in is safe, clean and approved. It’s also advisable to have a professional around, when swimming.
