8 Health Benefits of Water Workouts

A lower-impact way to keep your heart strong and your mind sharp — and it’s so relaxing!

Remember the joy of childhood when you’d spend a hot summer day splashing around in a cold pool with friends? Maybe you were even on the swim team growing up, and the sound of a whistle takes you back to those starting splashes at the beginning of a race.

Why not rediscover that love of the water as an adult? Exercise physiologist Christopher Travers, MS, explains why swimming — along with other aquatic exercises like water walking and water aerobics — is so good for your body and mind.

Is swimming good exercise?

Swimming isn’t just good exercise, it’s great exercise. That’s thanks to the water itself, which offers buoyancy and resistance that makes it easier on your whole body than other forms of exercise.

“As cardiovascular exercises go, swimming offers a little less wear and tear on the body than other options,” Travers says. “It’s a good choice for just about anyone.”

Health benefits of swimming

We love an equal-opportunity physical activity! Swimming is for people of various ages, weights and health conditions, and no matter your activity level, you’ll reap some of its benefits. Travers shares nine of them.

Easy on your joints

We’re not saying that swimming is easy (far from it!), but swimming takes much less of a toll on your body than, say, running or riding a bike. That’s because exercising in water lessens the impact of your body weight on your joints.

“The buoyancy of the water takes the weight off,” Travers says. “It also adds resistance, but it’s low impact.” This is especially helpful if you have a condition that causes stiffness or joint pain:

Arthritis: Swimming has long been known to be one of the best exercise options for people with arthritis, helping to reduce symptoms and improve muscle strength.
Fibromyalgia: One study of women with fibromyalgia found that swimming regularly for eight months led to a 20% improvement in their overall physical function and a whopping 53% improvement in their stiffness.
Obesity: Excess weight can put pressure on your joints, making them stiff and sore. But the buoyancy of water makes swimming and other water-based exercises a great option for people who have obesity and overweight.
Pregnancy: Being pregnant can bring all kinds of discomfort, including muscle and joint pains, but exercising in the water can help protect your joints and bring relief.
Reduced mobility: If you have a disability that impacts your mobility, like muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis, water exercises can help reduce pain and spasticity.

Keeps your heart strong

Want to keep your ticker at peak function? Cardio activity is one of the keys to a healthy heart, and swimming’s cardiovascular benefits are clear. It’s been shown to:

Improve cholesterol levels.
Reduce blood pressure.
Lower your risk of heart disease.

“A major study commissioned by Swim England found that swimmers have a 41% lower risk of death due to heart disease or stroke than non-swimmers,” Travers shares, “plus a 28% lower risk of early death overall.”

It’s even an option for people who are in cardiac rehabilitation. Studies show that swimming can be well-tolerated by people who are recovering from heart failure or coronary artery disease.

Of course, always check with your healthcare provider before starting a new exercise routine, especially if you’re recovering from a major cardiac or have a known medical condition. And if you’ve had open-heart surgery or another procedure, be sure to stay out of the pool until your surgical incisions have healed.

Strengthens your lungs

If you want to breathe easier, swimming might help do the trick. It’s been found to improve lung strength and capacity. “Swimming makes your body use oxygen more efficiently,” Travers says, “so if you’ve been diagnosed with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), it can be a good exercise to try.” That said, studies have also shown that long-term exposure to the disinfectants used to clean swimming pools can actually increase your asthma risk. So, proceed with caution and always check with your healthcare provider to make sure swimming is safe for you.

Burns calories

Like other forms of cardio, swimming can help you burn calories and lose weight. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a 154-pound person who swims slow freestyle laps for 30 minutes burns 255 calories. But that amount varies depending on your weight, speed and stroke.

Swim England reports that butterfly stroke burns the most calories, but because it can be so hard to learn and to maintain — especially for beginners — it’s not recommended as a weight loss go-to. Freestyle is the better option, and only after you’ve learned how to do it the right way.

Builds muscle

The built-in resistance that water provides helps build muscles and makes you stronger. And because water is more resistant than air, swimming does this faster than land workouts like running and biking. “When you swim, you’re getting better aerobic capacity, and you’re working your muscles because you’re working against the resistance of the water,” Travers states.

Keeps your mind sharp

More research is needed, but studies suggest that regular swimming can improve cognitive (mental) function, which is especially important as you age. And speaking of aging…

Supports healthy aging

Getting older? Hey, aren’t we all — but swimming is a great exercise choice to help you maintain your health as the years pile on.

A study of postmenopausal women with high blood pressure found that swimming reduced blood pressure and improved arterial stiffness. Menopause also causes your bone density to decline, which can lead to weak and brittle bones. But swimming has been shown to have a positive effect on bone health in post-menopausal people. It may even be able to help stave off osteoporosis in people who’ve not yet entered menopause.

“When you’re postmenopausal, it’s important that you’re always looking for ways to increase bone density,” Travers advises.

Helps your mental health

It’s no secret that feeling better physically can help you to feel better mentally.

Remember that study we mentioned earlier, of women with fibromyalgia who swam for eight months? They didn’t just show improvements in physical health: They also reported a 41% improvement in anxiety and a 27% improvement from depression.

Plus, swimming is one of those activities that allows you to block out the world around you and just be. Whether you get lost in your own thoughts or use waterproof technology to listen to music while you do it, swimming can be a great way to destress and reap some of the benefits of meditation while also engaging in physical fitness.

Source: Cleveland Clinic