SWIMMING: The Most Complete Sport? Here are its main benefits
Hearing that swimming is one of the best sports that exist is very common, and the reasons are many since it is an aerobic exercise in which two thirds of the body's muscles work simultaneously improving strength, endurance, flexibility, etc. One of the advantages of swimming is that it produces a low impact on the joints, making it suitable to practice at any age and the risk of injury is lower than other sports.
On this occasion, we took on the task of compiling the main benefits of this sport. We invite you to give swimming a chance and join the millions of athletes who practice it.
MEMORY IMPROVEMENT
Swimming helps the regeneration of neurons in the hippocampus, a region of the brain whose main function is the consolidation of learning and memory. The neurons of the hippocampus grow with the practice of swimming, increasing the amount of oxygen that reaches the brain.
Swimming simultaneously activates both hemispheres and all four lobes of the brain, helping to improve cognitive abilities.
STRONGER AND TONED MUSCLES
One of the qualities of swimming is that we work on our flexibility, mobility and endurance while enhancing our strength in the different muscle groups of the body, for example:
BICEPS AND TRICEPS
Like the legs, the arms are important for propulsion and thrust, which gives the biceps and triceps a workout.
QUADRICEPS, TIBIALIS AND HAMSTRINGS
When swimming we are strengthening our quadriceps, hamstrings and tibialis, it is important because the legs are in charge of giving us the impulse, stability and speed we need.
STERNOCLEIDOMASTOID
The movement of the neck is essential to be able to take air while swimming, this muscle is the most developed in this area of the body.
ABDOMINALS
The swimmer will notice a change in his pectorals and abdominals over time.
DORSAL AND DELTOID
The back represents an indispensable part of swimming techniques, so keeping it exercised can help prevent muscle tears.
CALORIE BURN
There are many factors that determine the calories we burn while swimming, we must keep in mind that each person's metabolism is different.
The main factors to observe are: weight (the heavier you are, the more calories you will burn); swimming style (Crol, Breaststroke or Butterfly) since each type has a specific speed, intensity and time; the speed of the water (swimming in a pool is not the same as swimming in the open sea). On average, you could burn between 500 and 600 calories, although we cannot define a specific number.
IMPROVES THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
We strengthen all the muscles, including those that are responsible for filling and emptying the lungs with air, so that in each breath we can take more air with less energy expenditure, achieving a more efficient breathing and reducing the respiratory rate.
REDUCES STRESS LEVELS
Dr. I-Min Lee, Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, endorses swimming as ideal for relieving everyday stress.
When we swim, endorphins are released, which are useful for managing stress, anxiety and general mood.
IMPROVES THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Swimming is a form of exercise that helps improve the contractility of the heart, lowers blood pressure and improves the efficiency of the lungs.
It should be practiced at least three times a week for 1 hour or more. The intensity should be between 65 and 85 percent of the HRF (Maximum Heart Rate), this will produce beneficial effects on the cardiovascular and respiratory system.
But.... There are several things to note:
-Remember to choose a swimming style suitable for your condition.
-Competitive swimming is discouraged in people with heart conditions (blood pressure rises sharply).
