The Benefits Of Swimming

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Today we’re happy to present a guest post by a professional swimmer, Milica Gruić from Belgrade, Serbia. She prepared this helpful guide for you guys, to introduce you to the benefits of swimming as well as give you a few very helpful tips on starting your swimming adventure!

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Swimming might be the best way to gain in strength, to lose pounds and get rid of fat from your stomach, thighs and arms. Not only is it good for losing weight, swimming is extremely healthy, and a rather difficult sport. Many don’t know that it gives great results if you want to have a good muscle definition and it includes those muscles in the workout which are usually not even triggered by exercise at the gym and running. When you’re swimming, your body does not strain your joints or bones, and the horizontal position of the body speeds up circulation, while water flow relaxes your muscles. If you have decided to do something good for your health – we suggest swimming as the best choice. Even if you’re a beginner and so far you haven’t spent much time training and going to the gym. Take a look at all the benefits that this aquatic sport offers.

Muscle toning

Water is 12 times more dense than air so this is one of the reasons why swimming causes all the muscles in the body to move and exert, unlike exercises on land. Water resistance will force you to consume more power even for the most ordinary hand and leg movements. While you swim, you use all the major muscles and you need extra power to keep your heart active, which will also allow you to boost your strength. This is far more effective for fitness and strong muscles than exercising on the machines in the gym.

Breathing

Swimming deepens breathing, which results in increased lung capacity. Because of the strengthening of the lungs, swimming is also recommended for people suffering from asthma. Unlike running, aerobics or fitness training,when you swim you are not exposed to connective tissue injuries.

It relieves stress and tension

It helps you improve the circulation of the whole body and therefore you also raise your energy level. After swimming, as opposed to running and  strength exercise, you won’t feel grim and tired. One of the biggest advantages and benefits of swimming are relief from stress and tension. Body and mind relax in the water, the more time you spend in the water, the more you feel relaxed.

Ideal for weight loss

Swimming is considered an ideal sport for overweight people. Free-style swimming for 30 minutes, will burn about 350 calories. The most difficult style, the dolphin, will have you burn 400 calories in 30 minutes. It’s a great choice if you want to get rid of fat on your thighs, stomach and arms. After a few hours of swimming, you will feel more strength, flexibility and muscular endurance.

If you like this so far, read on to discover a few helpful pro tips…

Swimmer Tips: Bring technique to perfection

In addition to recommending swimming as often as possible, use some of the following tips to develop the perfect technique:

Always base on your best technique

Swimming quickly with a bad technique can be an effective exercise, but swimming with perfect technique is something completely different. Therefore, it is best to base yourself on one technique where you are most complete and use it when swimming slower as well as when you’re trying to reach maximum speed. The same applies to pushing away from the pool walls, which must also be refined to perfection, and repetition is the best exercise.

Push your limits

Just like with gym workouts, you should always try to surpass yourself, and a better result than yesterday is the best satisfaction for continuing the activity. In this case, pushing the maximum limits is actually pushing the limits of physical fitness, so only when your heart and lungs are able to withstand longer exertions, only then will your excellent technique be able to come to the fore.

Seek help from an assistant

Help from another person who, in your opinion, has a good enough swimming technique and who knows how to spot the flaws, should periodically analyze your swimming style and point you to things you are doing wrong and you’re not even aware of it. This is because you can’t see yourself and your swimming from a different perspective unless your assistant analyzes you and allows you to do a motion analysis yourself.

Use swimming equipment and fins

Not only is the swimwear allowed for the professionals, but there are good reasons why they use it. There is definitely no way to compare the hydrodynamics of a wide shorts that practically slows you down, with competitive shorts or a skin-thin suit. In addition, from time to time try swimming with a fin that will allow you to find the right body positions when high speed swimming requires it. The established technique should later be transferred to swimming without these aids, and the result of the change should soon be visible on the stopwatch.

If this little guide was useful to you and inspired you to give swimming a go, grab your bathing suit, go to your nearest pool, and enjoy yourself while burning those pesky calories and improving your overall fitness.

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