Health Benefits of Swimming
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I was very nervous the first time I entered in a swimming pool, this came after a long period of persuasion from my friends especially Jeremy, who seems to be a natural leader in the group. It was problematic to gather courage and finally enter into the swimming pool. Then I am not certain that I will be enjoying swimming as my friends do, perhaps with continuous practice and regular exposure in the company of my friends I will be able to make it my hobby. And if I will not be able to adapt and learn the art of swimming, how will my friends take me? Maybe they can think I am a slow learner or the weird one in the group, since I have already given them the benefit of the doubt by making my move. But since I have already confronted my fears of getting into the water, I will strive not to disappoint the crew. Even though I was not under pressure in the group, I must prove a point, at this stage there was no turning back, I must find a way to fit in the group and enjoy the company at all cost. I’m going to practice very hard, learn different styles and moves hoping to beat them at their own game. They won’t tease me anymore the way they used to do before. From the first experience I had, what made me going even further is seeing the looks on my friends’ faces encouraged me to push on and break down the theoretical limits I had set for myself. I felt some energy that I had never experienced before, and I would want to keep on doing this. We have developed the habit of going to the swimming pool at a four-star hotel every Sunday, but does swimming has health benefits to an individual? A day after swimming, in the morning all my joints were aching, even waking up was a problem. I was feeling like I spent the whole of the previous day in the gym. I called my friend Jeremy to shed some light on the situation, and he said it is normal for the body to behave that way on people on their first swimming attempt. If it is like going to the gym, then how is swimming good to my health? The research shows that swimming has an impact on an individual health as it provides unparalleled cardiovascular conditioning if a person practices regularly and also employing the use of good techniques (Kordi, 218). Incorporating swimming into training just like going to the gym and making it a routine will definitely help in heart condition related complications. This should not only be done once in a while but making swimming a habit. It is high time that I should start practicing more often than the trend we’ve kept of visiting the swimming pool once in a week. This doesn’t mean that an individual has to swim the whole day to realize this beneficial impact, but even 20 to 40 minutes is enough; doing swim laps at a pace that keeps the heart at the rate up. Starting slowly then gradually increasing the pace and perhaps taking a rest between the laps. With time when a person well exposed to the routine, one may need to try different strokes and speeds. Swimming places less demand on an individual’s heart when compared to running or other kinds of sports thereby ensuring that the heart doesn’t go up as high, the heart rate remains 10 to 20 minutes per minute. Just like other aerobic exercises like running, swimming exercise improves heart and lung capacity, it boosts cardiovascular fitness and the cholesterol levels in the body. These benefits cannot be acquired by normal swimming but doing it at a brisk pace. For those who have not yet made swimming a habit, it is not too late to start, even for those who don’t like it there is also a wide range of workouts that can be done in water. Swimming is an ideal way of doing exercise and staying in shape since most of the body parts are involved, toning all major body muscles such as shoulders, arms, hips, and legs. Additionally, swimming helps to keep joints supple and muscles strong as well as contributing to losing weight. Swimming regularly in some people helps to reduce the chances of the risk getting chronic disease illnesses as well as make an individual feel better afterward. It works the heart and lungs training the body how to use oxygen more efficiently reflecting on the breathing and resting heart rate (Morgan et al., 141). It utilizes the arms, legs and other groups of muscles in between to improve the flexibility and strength. Swimming is usually recommended for people with arthritis and other types of chronic diseases because it is easy on the joints and muscles. Unlike running and cycling, swimming has less resistance thereby allowing an individual to work vigorously with fewer chances of getting an injury (Edelman et al., 290). In addition, swimming makes an individual to develop core body strength since the activity utilizes all the muscles of the body simultaneously increasing flexibility enabling stretching; this helps to flush out toxins thereby preventing muscle soreness and tightness the following day. Best of all, swimming is a kind of activity that a person does not need to give up on since it can be done across the life span. Apart from enjoying, there is also a relaxing and meditative side of swimming, when an individual is in a pool their mind drifts and they focus only on breathing and making moves. This stress busting aspect of swimming has the significant benefits to the cardiovascular system. Although swimming greatly contributes for a healthy heart, lungs, muscles, and blood vessels, it does not do much for the bones. Therefore, it is imperative also for swimmers to supplement their aquatic activities with other exercises like walking, dancing, strength training, and stair climbing. Moreover, the research indicates that aerobics activities such as swimming help in reducing the inflammation that that may lead to a buildup of atherosclerosis in the heart. Atherosclerosis is a form of arteriosclerosis that makes the walls of the artery become thick as a result of the accumulation of the white blood cells and the proliferations of the smooth muscles cell thereby producing a fibrofatty plaque. Reducing system inflammation, resulting to lessened disease spread into other areas of the body as well (Wick, 46). Unlike working out in the gym surrounded by the dry air, swimming allows an individual to breathe moist air during training. Studies have shown that swimming helps to alleviate asthma symptoms as well as improving the overall condition of the lungs. Swimming is also beneficial to people who do not have asthma as it increases the volume of the lungs as well as well training them good breathing techniques. Furthermore, besides swimming being a good activity for the health of an individual preventing heart disease, it also is considered to be whole body exercise because nearly all the parts of the body are being involved during in the activity. It bestows exceptional mental and physical benefits; the improvement in physical fitness provides a better functioning of cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, and muscular systems. Psychological rewards that are associated with swimming are also numerous having a long lasting effect on the mental health of an individual. Reduction in psychological stress and elevation of the mood are some of the manifestations of the improvement that can be observed in individuals who swim regularly as a form of exercise (Cheung, 34). Exercise has profound benefits on an individual’s body and that is why it is usually recommended by health care providers, swimming is preferred over other exercises to more provide health advantages. In conclusion, even though swimming is not that popular compared to other exercising activities, it is one of the best body workouts an individual can do. Although swimming is a safe way of doing exercise, individuals should not swim under conditions that experience and ability that they cannot handle, safety measures needs to be put into considerations, even in the pool there are hazards. Some of the hazards may include hitting one's head on the bottom of the pool and misjudging a dive. Apart from the physical benefits, one can obtain from swimming; it is also a great recreational sport giving a person a peace of mind to carry out other tasks. Swimming has numerous health benefits if it is done regularly; it prevents heart diseases and improves the overall well-being of an individual.

Work Cited
Cheung, Joseph. Total Health and Fitness Revolution. Daylesford: Johannes Scherpenhuizen, 2011
Edelman, Carole Lium, Carol Lynn Mandle, and Elizabeth C. Kudzma. Health promotion throughout the life span. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2013.
Kordi, Ramin. Combat Sports Medicine. London: Springer, 2009.
Morgan, William P., and Stephen E. Goldston. Exercise and mental health. Taylor & Francis US, 2013.
Wick, Georg. Inflammation and Atherosclerosis. Wien: Springer Wien, 2011.