We need to speed up the heart and slow down the mind to stay healthy. Swimming does both. Since I started swimming a year ago, I’ve been thinking about these things. I made a new year promise to have fun. Not everything worked out, but I adopted a healthy lifestyle, among other things.
The experience couldn’t be better.
And no doubt, at the end of this post, you will want to take the plunge more than ever!
Healthy living with swimming
Improving health and well-being does not result from a single choice or action but rather from habits. If we are to enjoy the fruits of a strong body and mind, it is in our best interests to create a lifestyle that promotes the development of good habits.
Many people naturally (and almost effortlessly) adopt a healthier lifestyle when they add swimming to their fun list.
Swimming makes it easier to adopt a healthier lifestyle because exercising in the water tends to be really fun. It’s so much easier to follow an exercise regimen when it’s something you can’t wait to do.
Swimming is a great way to develop a healthy routine.
In terms of physical health, swimming offers the following benefits:
Relieves muscle tension
Soothes joint pain
Strengthens the cardiovascular system
Aids weight loss
Increases muscle strength
Improves circulation
Swimming can produce such a range of positive health outcomes because it provides the perfect setting for hydrotherapy.
Hydrotherapy is a water-based therapy that has been used for decades around the world to treat injuries, improve quality of life, and promote general well-being. It relies on the healing qualities of water – namely its temperature and buoyancy – in combination with massages to stimulate blood circulation and the production of endorphins.
Speaking of endorphins, which are the body’s feel-good hormones, the health benefits of swimming don’t stop at the physical level.
Swimming also offers a host of mental health benefits:
Improves sleep patterns
Reduces stress and anxiety
Promotes relaxation
Calms the mind
Indeed, swimming is an extremely relaxing, fun activity that promotes calm and mental clarity. The heightened sense of well-being you experience after spending time swimming helps you regulate your sleep patterns to fall asleep and stay asleep for a good night’s rest, which allows you to manage the stress of everyday life better.
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I know it’s not a simple activity (because it requires some structure), but by working body and mind at the same time, swimming sums up the Greek saying: a healthy mind in a healthy body.
