DIVE IN Swimming is a fantastic way to maintain physical and mental health without putting additional pressure on joints or muscles - and has a terrific community aspect, too
T
he global pandemic had a significant impact on many people’s activity levels, with research showing that disabled and elderly people were significantly affected; the Activity Alliance noted that disabled people were less likely to have found new ways to be active during the pandemic, and became less likely to exercise in order to manage mental health. Encouraging people to return to (or take up) exercise can have significant benefits in many areas of their life: it’s not just good for your physical wellbeing, but as previously mentioned, it’s excellent for clearing your head and managing mental wellness, too. As it’s summer, swimming is the exercise du jour: there’s nothing better than taking a cool, relaxing dip in the pool on a warm summer’s day. Swimming is a brilliant form of exercise for a whole host of reasons, with perhaps one of the most important being that it’s a non-weight bearing and low-impact exercise. This is because the water supports the majority of the swimmer’s body weight, and prevents a lot of strain being put on muscles and joints while they swim. This might lead you to believe that swimming is an “easy” exercise, but it’s far from it: water is around 800 times more dense than air, which means the swimmer has to work hard to push through it, resulting in them getting a full-body workout without impacting the joints. Swimming is also a form of cardiovascular exercise, and can contribute to improving lung capacity, and can help to build up endurance and increase fitness. It may sound like you need to spend an hour hammering away in the water to feel the benefits of swimming, but that’s not entirely accurate: swimming also has a phenomenal social aspect. It’s not uncommon to see people swimming together in pairs, chatting as they move up and down the pool. Joining swimming classes also fosters community and forges friendships - water aerobics classes and other
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