Whether you’re young or older, currently regularly exercising or spending very little time working out, you are likely to benefit from a regular swimming program. Looking for a sense of renewal? Consider some pool time. According to a 2017 study published in the “British Medical Journal,” swimming can add years to your life. 

Sure, it’s just plain fun, and being with others outside in the fresh air has its benefits. But the very nature of swimming goes a long way to improving your health and raising your overall level of fitness.  Health experts say that swimming improves your mood, reduces anxiety, builds endurance, and improves heart and lung function.

Swimming – whether doing laps, enjoying water aerobics, lane walking, taking lessons, or just playing around – is one of the very few non-gravity- dependent exercises which puts no pressure on achy joints. Water provides buoyancy and natural resistance, which helps restore balance, mobility and strength without pain.  So it’s ideal for treating arthritis, inflammation and stiffness. It also helps build endurance and improves heart and lung function. 

Aquatic therapy can help restore strength, mobility, balance, and coordination, without the pain that may be associated with physical therapy outside the pool. 

Swimming is also helpful after hip and knee replacements, and general surgery, because water-based activities allow people to move more easily. Physical therapists see the benefits frequently: issues such as arthritis, obesity and chronic pain can be treated through exercise programs in a community pool. 

In the water, you are almost weightless, which makes it easier to move and do things that are more challenging when you’re “land based.” Exercises guided by an instructor in a water aerobics class can improve coordination and balance, helping to prevent problems. And it can be a lot of fun, too!

For children, learning to swim is an essential and potentially life-saving skill. It also opens up a wide range of life-long activities, from lap swimming to water polo, lifeguard training, scuba diving lessons, pool volleyball, surfing, and more. 

For lap swimming, lane walking and water aerobics, a 25 meter heated pool is recommended. Lap swimmers and lane walkers need the distance to stretch and swim before having to turn, and water aerobics requires room for a class of participants to stretch out and to completely float, (often with the help of floating devices called “noodles.”

Cambrian, Julie J. summed it up this way:“Swimming exercises all of the muscle groups, so there’s no impact on your body, it’s great for all ages and it makes getting more fit fun.”