What are the benefits of swimming on your body

Swimming is one of those physical activities, which, like jumping rope, is often practiced enormously when young, then increasingly neglected as we grow up with Lifeguard Class Near Me.

In France, swimming is only the ninth most practiced club sport , with some 381,000 members. On the other hand, it makes its way onto the podium of the most practiced sports outside the club with a good second place with 12.7 million swimmers . ( survey conducted by the Ministry of Sports in 2010 )

Another slightly more alarming figure, 1 in 7 French people declare that they cannot swim , a shame when you know that drownings cause 500 cases of death each year.

In short, all this to tell you that swimming is a great sport to which we tend to turn our backs too much during 10 months of the year, giving it a little interest only during the hot months with American Lifeguard USA.

Let's see together what are the benefits of regularly putting on glasses, briefs and a swimming cap.

The benefits of swimming

There is no such thing as miraculous sports training, but if there were to be one, let's say it would be very close to swimming.

With both physical and mental benefits, swimming workouts can really improve your wellbeing and overall health in a very short time. And luckily, you don't have to be the future Michael Phelps to reap the benefits!

1) Your brain works better

You'll get more than a swimmer's body by swimming regularly. Indeed, swimming would increase blood flow to the brain, which leads to better oxygenation.

You will increase your cognitive functions, be more alert and your memory will also be improved.(1)

An interesting study found that simply being in warm water, even submerged at chest level, can have a positive effect on blood flow to the brain. The study participants thus increased their blood flow to their cerebral arteries by 14%.

2) Your children do better

It turns out that getting your toddlers into the water from an early age is also a good idea.

A study of 7,000 children under the age of 5 found that children who swim at a young age learned skills and achieved physical milestones much earlier than their non-swimming peers, regardless of background socioeconomic.

Their reading level and numerical skills were also better!

Go get the floats, your children can take swimming lessons from 12 months.

3) You lower your blood pressure

If you have high blood pressure, water workouts are a great way to lower resting blood pressure.

One study found that over a 10-week period, men and women who were previously sedentary but had high blood pressure significantly decreased their resting heart rate.(2)

It is especially recommended for people who find it difficult to practice other exercises due to their (over)weight, asthma or various injuries.

Another study found that after a year of training on a regular basis, patients with hypertension lowered their blood pressure while improving their insulin sensitivity, which is key to avoiding type 2 diabetes. .

4) You are in a better mood

If you only swim when summer comes (when summer there is), it's time to break out your bathing suit during the winter.

OK, it's cold and the idea of ​​going diving in the water is not very pleasant, but a study revealed that swimmers who regularly indulge in the pool between October and are less tired, suffer from less tension and memory loss, all good!

And as if that weren't enough, swimmers with rheumatism, fibromyalgia or asthma have found that winter swimming relieves their aches and pains.

5) You live longer

If you're going to give yourself a little extra life, no need to pray that cryonics will come to your rescue, just add swimming to your daily life.

A study of more than 40,000 men between the ages of 20 and 90 found that participants who swam or did other exercise in the pool (such as aqua aerobics or water polo) reduced the risk of dying from death by almost 50%. any cause compared to sedentary men, those who walk regularly or those who run. (3)

In this regard, did you know that 2015 was marked by a world record set by Mieko Nagaoka, the first centenarian to complete the 1500 meter freestyle!

Conversely, Alzain Tareq, 10, became the youngest swimmer in competition during the world swimming championships. The Bahrainian thus competed against swimmers who were twice her age while finishing her 50 meters in… 41.13 seconds, not bad!

6) You reduce your risk of heart disease

In a study conducted on patients with osteoarthritis , researchers found that swimming was just as effective (or even more effective) than cycling in increasing cardiovascular function and reducing inflammation.