Health Benefits of Swimming That'll Convince You to Take a Dip

 You Might Live Longer

Swimming leads to overall improvements in health and well-being that could extend your lifespan. A study published in May 2017 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine tracked more than 80,000 adults for nearly 20 years. Those who swam had a 41 percent lower risk of dying of heart disease and a 28 percent lower risk of death from any cause compared to people who never suited up. If that's not motivation to dive straight into your next swimming workout, we're not sure what is with lifeguard course

You Can Swim for Life

Because water supports much of your body weight, reducing the pressure on bones and joints, swimming is an attractive option for nearly anyone, at any age. "Swimming can turn into a lifelong sport," says Jenny McCuiston, co-founder of Goldfish Swim School, a swim school for kids up to 12 years old, meaning you can score the benefits of swimming far into your senior years.

You'll Boost Your Body Strength

Whether you freestyle or do the backstroke or butterfly, swimming works just about every muscle, from your forearms to your feet. And unlike land-based workouts, you don't need to add weights for resistance because the resistance of the water is always pushing against your body, building muscle strength.

"Swimming tones your body in a way no land exercise can," says Stacy Caprio, a certified Red Cross water safety instructor, former competitive swimmer and coach.

And you can switch up your stroke to target certain areas of your body. Freestyle, for example, strengthens quads due to the intensity of flutter-kicking. Meanwhile, pulling through the backstroke works your shoulders and triceps, says Samantha Caballero, CEO of Swim With Sam in Miami.

Swimming Is Good for Your Heart

Any form of aerobic exercise — you know, the type that makes your heart pump harder — boosts your heart health over time, and pool-based workouts are no exception. In fact, women who swam for an hour three times a week for 12 weeks reduced both their total cholesterol and their triglycerides, according to an October 2015 study in the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation. And in an April 2012 study in the American Journal of Cardiology, swimming reduced blood pressure in adults age 50 and older who were previously sedentary.

You'll Burn Calories

All that kicking, pulling and splashing requires a considerable amount of energy, which means — you guessed it — you'll burn calories while in the water. The exact calorie burn depends on a number of variables, including your stroke (freestyle requires the least fuel, while butterfly torches the most calories, according to a September 2013 research review in the International Journal of Cardiology), but on average, a 154-pound person swimming slow, freestyle laps burns about 255 calories in half an hour, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That means swimming can also help you lose weight. In one November 2010 study of older women in the journal Metabolism, swimming beat walking for long-term weight loss. It even led to short-term improvements in body fat distribution: People who swam were less likely to pack fat around their midsections, where it's more dangerous to your health with american lifeguard

Swimming Is Super Accessible

Water supports about 90 percent of your body weight, according to the American Council on Exercise, making it a super low-impact sport. "People with physical limitations from strokes, accidents or arthritis find solace in swimming because of its low impact on the body," Caballero says. That's also why it's a good choice for so many older adults, too.

In some cases, swimming may even ease your symptoms. A March 2016 study in the Journal of Rheumatology found that swimming reduced pain and stiffness in people with arthritis. What's more, it boosted strength and improved participants' ability to perform daily activities.

Swimming also works well if your condition is more temporary. If you're injured due to another sport or physical activity, swimming can serve as part of your rehab, says Mike Lucero, head swim coach and president at Golden Road Aquatics in Burbank, California. You'll be able to get in just as good of a workout, but without the pressure or pounding you'd endure on dry land, which is why many runners turn to swimming when working through an injury.

Working out in the water is usually safe for pregnant women, too, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Learn more about it:5 SWIMMING EXERCISES FOR A SORE BACK