Health Benefits of Swimming for Exercise

Main Content

Not only is swimming one of the best weapons to combat the obesity crisis that threatens our future generations it also offers everything from family fun to strenuous exercise.

Did you know

• There are no barriers to swimming in terms of gender, skills or age.
• Swimming can be a solo almost meditative exercise and it can be a sociable experience at the hub of the community.
• Swimming is weather-proof.
• Up to 90% of the swimmer's body weight is borne by the water, making the pool a better option than dry land for workouts, particularly for the elderly, and those suffering from injury, disability or arthritis.

Water is 800 times denser than air, so its resistance requires 30% more effort from the muscles moving through it. Therefore, more key muscle groups are used in swimming than other sports, promoting muscle growth, fat burning and the development of anti-aging hormones.

Swimming Calorie Counter

• 30 minutes exercise for a swimmer weighing 70kg
• Fast crawl or butterfly burns 404 calories
• Breaststroke burns 367 calories
• Backstroke or slow crawl burns 257 calories

Editor: How to Count and Calculate Calories