I know it’s the wrong time of year for this post, but winter swim training can boost your fitness. See why you should get back in the pool.
Why It Works?
Propelling your body through a body of water is hard, especially if you aren’t doing it regularly. The swimming process uses all muscle groups in both the upper and lower body. It’s especially good for older people who have challenges with weight-bearing exercises, like running. You can shed the same amount of calories.
Twenty to thirty minutes about 3 times a week provides wonderful benefits. Your local YMCA is a good place to start. Alternatively, you may find a hotel pool to rent quite cheap. If you can swim the basics, check out www.swimmingmagazine.com.
Starting Out
I was fortunate enough to have parents who introduced me to swimming at an early age. This doesn’t mean that you are too old to learn though. I know of some runners who did triathlons and couldn’t swim at all. They learned with proper instruction and perseverance. There are many excellent websites that teach swimming basics to help you get the most out of the activity.
Check Out The Research
Time magazine says that swimming is a good workout for people with osteoarthritis. The activity helps lubricate the joints if done in warm water. They also suggest that research shows that those who swim for fitness have lower blood pressures. There is less injury potential because the resistance on muscles and joints is more uniformly distributed and reduces injury potential.
Swimming uses anaerobic (without oxygen) systems. This allows the body to sustain short-term energy bursts, as opposed to long distance aerobic exercises (with oxygen). Of course, you can do long distance swimming to bring about a high level of endurance training. Most research shows that aerobic exercise increases the size of the heart muscle tissue.
Morgan Mabe, swim coach at Asphalt Green in New York City explains: “There are no other sports equally tough on your upper & lower body while being gentle on the joints.” See article: Why swimming is one of the best and hardest exercises you can do mensjournal.com.
I know it’s harder in the winter months to get to a swimming pool. You think burr… I have found if you just do it; you find you feel warm for hours later.
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