By Diana Goodwin
Diana GoodwinThe weather is warming up and soon we will all be able to spend the summer in the water with our families! Swimming is a relaxing and fun activity, a great exercise, and an important life skill. Make sure to stay safe around the water while you enjoy these many benefits of swimming!

1. Swimming is a Great Low-Impact Sport
When immersed in water up to your neck, you only have to bear 10% of your body weight. Therefore, swimming minimizes stress on your bones and joints, while also helping you improve your posture.

2. Swimming is an Excellent Form of Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise will stimulate your metabolism, burn fat and improve the health of your heart.

3. Swimming is a Full Body Workout
The muscles in your back, shoulders, arms, legs, and torso will be engaged as you swim. Having to propel your body through a dense substance like water provides a great resistance based workout to build and tone your muscles.

4. Swimming Strengthens your Lungs
Your lungs can grow stronger and more powerful from swimming workouts. Swimming has even been known to improve the symptoms of asthmatics!

5. Swimming Can Increase Flexibility
As you engage your hips to kick your legs and reach forward with your arms, and twist your body and head, your body goes through a wide range of motion to keep your joints and ligaments flexible. Finishing your workout with a gentle stretch will further improve your flexibility.

6. Swimming Allows You to Enjoy Other Wonderful Water Sports
The ability to swim confidently opens up a whole range of amazing water activities including snorkeling, scuba diving, sailing and kayaking. Don’t be left behind on the beach!

7. Swimming Helps Relieve Stress
Swimming can help with managing your daily stresses; it is a full-body work out that will leave you feeling relaxed and re-generated. When you perform strenuous endurance exercises like swimming, your pituitary gland is stimulated to release substantial quantities of ‘endorphins’.  These chemicals block sensations of pain and produce overall feelings of euphoria. Swimming can help you recover from those stress-induced blues. 

8. Enrich the Relationships in your Life
Swimming offers an opportunity to spend time with your children while staying fit together. Teaching your children to swim will help keep them safe when they are around the water and participating alongside them will help build their confidence in the pool. Swimming is a social sport too! Swimming provides an active way to connect with other people and develop friendships.

Diana Goodwin is the President & Founder of AquaMobile Swim School, a swim school that provides high quality at home private swim lessons in cities across the US & Canada. Diana has over 15 years experience in the aquatics industry working as an instructor, supervisor and manager, giving her a wealth of knowledge on all things swim related.