Swimming, laps running!


Swimming, laps running!
Running and cycling usually take center court as overzealous activity junkies’ choice of cardiovascular workouts! But swimming is on the rise as the triathlon bug bites, and the benefits of swimming become known.  The great thing about swimming is it increases your heart rate without stressing your body, tones muscles, builds endurance, improves sleep and allows you to eat 8,000 calories a day, guilt free!  

The benefits of swimming are endless, kind of like your last set in the pool.  Including relief for chronic back pain, reduction of asthma symptoms, lowering diabetes risk and believe it or not studies show that swimming can increase your lifespan!  It can also aid those who suffer from arthritis, heart disease, fibromyalgia, or multiple sclerosis.

So, what equipment do you need to get you started? 

  • A swimmer’s prize possession is their goggles.
  • Kickboards let your upper body rest while you work your legs.
  • Pull-buoys (a figure-8 shaped foam device that you place between your legs, above your knees)
  • Work your legs and add propulsion to your swimming with fins.
  • If you're looking to work your pull a little more, hand paddles can sometimes help.
     
Swimming with a partner or a group can help you stay motivated and will help push you to swim further, nobody wants to go to the pool, swim two laps and get out especially if somebody else is watching!

You don’t have to belong to the gym to get in the pool, you could sign up for affordable season tickets at your local public pool.  Swimming is a great alternative to try if your usual exercise routine feels stagnant.  It’s refreshing and will test your body in new ways which ultimately will strengthen you for running and cycling.

If, after your first swim you feel like the euphoria is sinking away remember that swimming takes longer to adapt to than any other sport, even if you’re a marathon runner or have logged hours on the elliptical, you have to get use to the new breathing pattern swimming requires, as well as the weightlessness the activity causes. 

Are there any downsides? Well besides smelling like you’ve bathed yourself in rasping sterilizers and transforming you into a nap-crazed zombie with an insatiable appetite, you can literally swim for your entire life.  The quote, “I cannot fly, but swimming is the next best thing,” comes to mind. So the next time you go swimming, close your eyes and enjoy the weightless freedom and liberation – pretend you are flying!



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