Do you remember the 1985 movie “Cocoon” that featured a group of senior citizens receiving newly discovered energy from leaping into and swimming in a nearby pool? The movie’s source of restored youth was outer-worldly. Your source of energy can be obtained from the aquatic sport itself. There is a reason that year-long swimming has become (after walking) the second most popular exercise among senior citizens. Besides helping you to feel and look younger, Sun Citians, the health benefits accrued from swimming regularly are enormous! Let’s discover, in reverse order, what Michael Franco, author of “10 Health Benefits of Swimming,” (health.howstuffworks.com) informs us on the subject.
10) The Ability to Do More With Less.
Did you know that when you submerge your body in water all the way to your neck, you only have to bear 10% of your weight? The other 90% is carried by the water. Author Michael Franco tells us that water is the ideal place to work stiff muscles and sore joints, especially if one is overweight or suffers from arthritis. This is also true of anyone recovering from joint surgery. The Stingrays’ president and swim competitor Ann Broderick says, “Swimming allowed me to help my previously broken right shoulder to gain a complete range of motion.” The Arthritis Foundation suggests that the correct types of exercise are stretching and strengthening muscles with an aerobic workout. Swimming does it all!
9) Increase Muscle Tone and Strength.
Michael compares the sport of jogging/running out of the water with swimming through the water. Water, 12 times more dense than air, makes each arm stroke and kick a resistance exercise. According to our author, “It is the best way to build muscle tone and strength.”
8) Improved Flexibility.
Exercise machines tend to work on one body part at a time. Swimming, on the other hand, involves a broad range of motion that helps ligaments and joints remain flexible and loose. Visualize the picture that Mr. Franco illustrates for you in this quote: “Arms move in wide arcs, hips are engaged as legs scissor through the water, and head and spine twist from side to side.” He continues, “Plus with every stroke, as you reach forward, you’re lengthening the body, which not only makes it (your body) more efficient in the water; it [swimming] also helps give you a good stretch from head to toe.” No other sport is capable of such flexibility being performed at one single exercise moment!
7) A Healthier Heart.
Even those of us with irregular heartbeats find solace in swimming. That is because we know the value of an aerobic (continuous increase in blood circulation/oxygen use over a prolonged period of time) exercise that serves to strengthen the heart (our most important muscle), making it become more efficient in pumping blood flow throughout the body. This was shown through ultrasound testing in a recent study. The research (American Journal of Cardiology online, January 16, 2012) noted the aerobic benefit of swimming in a pool 3 to 4 times weekly for 45 minutes each session. At the conclusion of a 12 week period, a control group of 43 adults over the age of 60 had lowered their systolic (top number) blood pressure reading by 9 points. Our author also informs us of cardiac research that shows aerobic exercise can restrict the body’s inflammation response leading to potential heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes of exercise daily, which has been found to reduce coronary heart disease in women by 30 to 40%.
A competitive swimmer of 85 years of age in November, Joe Loughlin, tells us, “My heart is regularly irregular. [Nevertheless] My doctor said my heart is strong. He wants me to do 30 minutes of exercise for my heart, 4 times weekly.”
