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Although not as natural a human exercise as walking or jogging, swimming has been around for millennia. Practiced in ancient Greece and the Romans, among other peoples, swimming, although popular, took a long time to turn into an organized competition, is a fun, healthy and challenging way to exercise by being practiced in the water, arousing a sensation of Pleasure and well-being.
Check out the main benefits that swimming brings, improving fitness, cardiovascular and strengthening the muscle. Benefits of swimming you may never have imagined!
- Heart: The body movements of the arms, legs and trunk associated with breathing work in the water strengthen the heart muscles, eliminating the fat around the heart, making this vital organ stronger and decreasing the incidence of cardiovascular disease as it occurs. an increased ability to pump blood through the body, also stimulating blood circulation due to water pressure;
- Breathing: Because it is practiced in a humid environment, swimming can help reduce and prevent asthma symptoms. It is also responsible for strengthening the thoracic muscles, increasing the elasticity and volume of the lungs due to breathing exercises and increasing the ability to absorb oxygen;
- Joints: Swimming is impact-free because it is practiced in water and allows joints to keep up with muscle growth, as larger and stronger muscles require well-lubricated, resistant and agile tendons and ligaments. In this way there is relief of pain resulting from arthrosis and fibromyalgia, because the sport keeps the joints loose and flexible;
- Self-esteem: Swimming releases a sense of independence, security and freedom, resulting in a set of mental relaxants. University of South Carolina researchers followed 40,547 men and women, aged 20 to 90, for 32 years and found that those who swam had a 50% lower mortality rate than runners, hikers and sedentary people;
- Anti-stress: To reconcile breathing and body movements, a high level of concentration is required. A time when your mind is free, thinking only of your body, moving away from everyday problems. This process also releases wellness hormones: endorphins, creating pleasant and relaxing sensations. The sound of breath coupled with the sound of water acts like a mantra in our subconscious;
- Diabetes Risk Reduction: To lower diabetes rates, nothing better than aerobic exercise. Intense swimming training can burn up to 700 kcal, reducing the risk of getting type 2 diabetes approximately 10%;
- Cholesterol Improvement: As it is a highly aerobic activity, it is up to swimming to be able to balance cholesterol levels in the body by raising the level of HDL, the good cholesterol! It can also keep our arteries healthy and fresh;
- Weight Management: Swimming is one of the best methods of calorie burning, weight maintenance and control. Burning calories depends on the frequency and intensity of training;
- Strength and Muscle Tone Improvement: Because water is 12 times denser than air and the swimmer has to propel himself in water, resistance work takes place, which is the basic principle of muscle toning and strength enhancement;
- Over Stretching: To swim, the only equipment we need is our own body. With each stroke, by extending the arm we are promoting a complete body stretch: from the tip of the finger to the tip of the toe.
According to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, any physical activity strengthens muscles and bone quality and improves heart rate and blood circulation. It also prevents, controls or decreases cardiovascular disease, anxiety and depression, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis and even some cancers.
Illustration: Bem Estar – TV Globo