Swimming is the most popular summer activity. Not only does it help physical strength and endurance but also strengthens mental health, says Coach Michael Van Eaton. Here are five health benefits of swimming and how to easily incorporate it into a busy lifestyle.

Swimming Burns Calories

Michael Van Eaton says that swimming is an excellent form of exercise for burning calories. Not only does it work for all the major muscle groups, but it’s also an excellent form of cardio. Swimming for just 30 minutes a day, can burn up to 1,000 calories! This is equivalent to running 6 miles.

The resistance of the water provides a full-body workout without all the sweating! If sweating isn’t your thing, this is a great option. Swimming can be an excellent exercise alternative to sports as well.

Swimming provides good exercise for the cardiovascular system and helps to maintain a healthy weight and build muscle. This is important because it increases physical success moving forward. 

Swimming Strengthens The Core

Swimming is a full-body workout, and it is one of the best exercises for strengthening the core and back muscles. In addition, swimming strengthens arms, legs, and abdominal muscles, Michael Van Eaton explains. 

While swimming, it will be very noticeable that it is working out the main back muscles as well as the primary arm muscles. That’s because swimming requires a pull-through method to glide through the water by using the strength in the main muscle groups in the arms and legs. 

This encourages coordination across the major muscle groups while still being easy on the joints. Unlike weight lifting, swimming is not demanding on those sensitive pressure points.

Swimming Improves Mental Health

One of the most important things to consider when thinking about signing up for a swimming lesson is that it helps to improve mental health, Michael Van Eaton goes on to say. Swimming provides an outlet for individuals to have fun and be social while exercising. It also offers a sense of serenity in the water which can help calm individuals who are prone to anxiety or who have disabilities.

Swimming Improves Sleep

While swimming is directly related to many positive health benefits, it also helps to stimulate both physical and mental growth but that isn’t all.

If the busy day-to-day hustle and bustle won’t allow routine excises, all that energy, can keep even the sleepiest awake at night. Michael Van Eaton notes that just 1 hour of swimming is enough to drive anyone into a deep and peaceful long night of sleep.