9 Health Benefits of Swimming

Swimming is both a muscle-strengthening and aerobic workout, plus it’s easy on joints.

1. Swimming Can Help You Live Longer

Studies show that regular exercise, swimming included, may increase your longevity. According to a 2017 report commissioned by Swim England, swimmers had a 28 percent lower risk of early death and a 41 percent lower risk of death due to heart disease and stroke compared with those who don't swim learn swimming with lifeguard class.

2. Swimming Can Help Keep You Lean

Swimming is a full-body workout. “Swimming engages everything from the arms, shoulders, and legs to the core, glues, and back,” Radermacher says. That means you get a lot of metabolic benefit for your cardio buck, he explainsIn an hour, a 155-pound person can burn about 432 calories swimming versus about 266 calories walking at a moderate pace, according to Harvard Medical School. A study published in 2021 in BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation found that 16 weeks of swimming led to significant reductions in body fat and BMI.

3. Swimming Boosts Heart Health

Like other forms of aerobic exercise, swimming can improve your cardiovascular fitness. “Swimming allows the heart to become stronger and the lungs to become more efficient in utilizing oxygen,” says Brian J. Krabak, MD, clinical professor of rehabilitation, orthopedics, and sports medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle and National Team Physician for USA Swimming.

Research shows swimming has been linked to improvements in hypertension, blood pressure, and other markers of cardiovascular health.

4. Those Laps Can Strengthen Your Lungs

If you’ve been diagnosed with a lung condition like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, you might like hearing that the lungs are one of the biggest benefactors from swimming, according to Swim England’s report.

“Swimming trains the muscles involved with respiration, meaning it can enhance lung volume and aid breathing technique,” says Power, who wasn’t involved with the Swim England report. Plus, if you have asthma, the pool provides an ideal exercise setting, as it’s humid, warm, and, usually, a low-pollen environment.

But if you have a lung or other condition that could interfere with your ability to exercise, check with your doctor before starting a swim routine with american lifeguard

5. Swimming May Boost Brain Power

Exercise in general has been associated with improving cognition, but when researchers studied the specific benefits of swimming on cognition, they found a unique benefit.

In one small study from the journal Physiological Reports, participants who did a 20-minute, moderate-intensity swim processed visual information and responded faster on cognitive tests conducted right before and immediately after their swim. Although it’s a small effect (about 4 percent on average), the fact that the workout made a measurable difference after just one occasion is notable, Dr. Cotter says. Another study published in Physiological Reports linked swimming with improved short- and long-term memory in mice.

Both studies are somewhat preliminary (given the size and that the second one was an animal study), but the researchers of both concluded that the data suggest further study is warranted.

6. The Water Workout May Put You in a Better Mood

All exercise can be a mood booster. But a study published in 2003 in the Journal of Psychology found that a single session of swimming improved mood even more than a single session of aerobic dance (similar improvements in mood were linked with yoga and Feldenkrais movement, a body awareness practice, in the population of women studied). “Due to the release of happiness chemicals in the brain, specifically endorphins dopamine and serotonin, regular swimming can reduce stress, lower anxiety, and combat depression,” Radermacher says.

7. Swimming May Help You Sleep

Improved sleep is a perk of sticking to just about any exercise routine. And that includes swimming. “Exercise helps reset your body’s internal clock and restores your natural circadian rhythm,” Radermacher says.

According to the National Sleep Foundation's 2013 Sleep in America poll (PDF), which focused on sleep and exercise, people who participated in aerobic exercise reported sleeping better; 76 to 83 percent of those who did light, moderate, or vigorous exercise reported very good or fairly good sleep quality versus 56 percent of non-exercisers. In the survey, swimming was categorized as a type of vigorous aerobic activity. What’s more, exercisers spent more time in restorative deep sleep.

8. For People With Chronic Pain, Swimming May Help

Conditions like arthritis and fibromyalgia often come with reduced mobility and in many cases, short- or long-term pain. This is where swimming can help. “A range of aquatic activities (including swimming) have been shown to help people with musculoskeletal conditions improve physical function and quality of life,” Power says.

One study showed that in people with osteoarthritis, a three-month swimming program (participants swam for 45 minutes three days per week) led to less joint pain and stiffness, as well as improved muscle strength.

The buoyancy of the water adds resistance (making water workouts challenging), but low-impact at the same time, Dr. Krabak says. And that’s ideal if you have stiffness or joint pain. If you do have fibromyalgia or more severe pain, consider aquatic physical therapy to help get you started and conditioned for possible lap swimming learn more about it on:Health Benefits of Swimming That'll Convince You to Take a Dip

9. Swimming Is Good for Bone Health

Roughly 54 million Americans have osteoporosis or low bone mass, which increases their risk for osteoporosis, according to the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation (PDF) — and among individuals 50 and up, 1 in 2 women will break a bone because of osteoporosis versus 1 in 4 men.

While resistance training and high-impact activities have always been the gold standard for improving bone density, swimming (if you do enough of it) may also help. A review published in 2020 in BioMed Research International found that three to six hours of swimming per week improved bone mineral density in postmenopausal women, especially among long-term swimmers. Though it's worth noting that there was no benefit to bone health in those who small less than three hours per week.