Health Tips

Swimming provides cardio, stretching, and coordination training all at once, making it the most effective compliment to weightlifting. A major stumbling block is the surprising number of people who cannot swim. Not only that, but they have no interest in learning.

It’s as if people consider there to be an appropriate time for one to learn (i.e. childhood), and if you have missed that window, you shouldn’t bother. While it’s certainly true that the younger you are, the easier it is to learn, there is certainly nothing preventing an adult from learning this incredible fitness tool.

Another major problem with swimming is accessibility. In most places, unlike running, you can’t swim for free. And if you can, you certainly can’t do it year round. So for a consistent work out, you either have to belong to a gym with a pool or else join an extra club, such as YMCA/YWCA. Not everyone can afford that. But even if you can’t, you should try to at least go once a month as a visitor. It’s usually only a couple of dollars at your local community center.

The reason I am so strong in my opinions about swimming is because it’s the sort of activity that will prevent you from getting into a rut. It changes everything you know about working out just enough to make it seem fresh and new, rather like looking at someone upside down while they talk makes them seem unfamiliar and strange.

The reduction of gravity, the combination of strength and coordination, and stretching and lengthening of muscles are all tremendous benefits. Plus, it’s one of the few activities you can do when you are too old to do much else.