Swimming not only helps with general physical fitness, but it encompasses a host of other benefits such as muscle toning, breath control, and meditative qualities. With so many peripheral benefits in one workout, you can kill two birds (or should I say five birds!) with one stone. Here are the less known benefits of swimming: Being in a pool, you’re less likely to make contact with hard surfaces that may strain your body, as your motions are cushioned by a barrier of water. Even better, if you’re swimming in a heated pool, the heat will loosen joints and muscles that will help prevent injuries during your workout. However, submersion in water creates a more even, controlled resistance on the body so there’s no concern about having to count or equalize repetitions when it’s time for lifting. The amount of resistance is relative to how hard you are pushing against the water, this allows you to control the degree of pressure and helps prevent the possibility of injuring yourself through the use of heavy weights. Swimming also helps to stretch out and elongate your entire body as you reach further out with every stroke. If you also work out and do stretches in water, you find that poses that are difficult to maintain on the surface are much more approachable underwater. With water support, you can balance all those tricky yoga poses you’ve been meaning to try. But even if you’re not suffering from a breathing problem, swimming can also help increase your lung volume and force you to learn proper breathing techniques. Not only does swimming increase relaxation chemicals, it is also highly conducive to meditation. Without having to focus on traffic or other gym members, swimming allows you to focus on simply your strokes and breathing, effectively “drowning” out static thoughts.
