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It is a universal desire to be physically fit, have good health, and be capable of doing physical activities. After all, they don’t say “health is wealth” for no reason! While the desire may be there, some people are hindered from working towards their fitness goals because they don’t know where to start.
For people that are looking to lose some weight, the idea of working out can seem daunting or outright terrifying. Most people think about how they may not have as much stamina as their peers in a workout class, or not as much strength as other people in the gym. However, there are some safety concerns to take into account when starting your fitness journey. It’s not usually taken into consideration, but jumping into a random workout when overweight can be dangerous to your body— particularly your joints.
Some complain of pain in their knees or ankles because of the weight and pressure experienced during physical activities, such as lifting weights or jogging. This can be a serious discouragement and cause for giving up on fitness goals. So where can people start?
Swimming is a great way to start your fitness journey. It’s a sport that can be done by anyone, and it addresses many of the issues that hinder people from their fitness journey— most especially when it comes to physical limitations or pain during exercise. All you need is a swimsuit, a pair of goggles, and access to a pool or safe body of water!
It’s low impact, but high resistance
What makes swimming a game changer for beginners would be its low-impact, but high resistance nature. Since water alleviates the weight your body, you can carry as little as 10% of your whole body weight when submerged to your neck. This is what makes water therapy so helpful for people recovering from physical injuries. However, this doesn’t change the fact that swimming is a great full-body workout that engages all your major muscle groups, such as legs, arms, shoulders, back, core, and glutes. Add in the resistance from the water (about 12 times more than air), and your muscles are in for a sweat!
You can go at your own pace
Another great thing about swimming is that you can go about your own pace. You don’t have to be able to swim a 100 meter sprint like the professionals in order to get a good workout. It’s possible preferable to start where you’re comfortable and slowly move forward from there.
You can start with something like finishing one lap, and if that’s a challenge in itself, it’s fine! In fact, if you give it all you’ve got during these short intervals, it may be more effective in aiding weight loss. Keep doing these working out in intervals with short breaks in between, and as you are able to accomplish it with more ease, increase your distance. If you need extra help, don’t forget to make use to the different equipment available to aid you, such as a kickboard.
As you consistently exercise throughout the week, you can trust that you will be getting stronger— not just inside the pool, but outside of it as well! As your joints, muscles, and overall endurance get stronger, you’ll find that what was once challenging has become easier, and you may even be able to add other land-based exercises into your regimen!
Your health will benefit from it as well
Swimming has been proven as an effective way to lose weight and become a physically fit individual. While you can count on burning fat with regular swimming and proper dieting, you’ll be happy to learn that a slimmer physique isn’t the only thing you’ll be walking away with. Your health will be reaping multiple benefits from swimming.
Regularly swimming can reduce the risk of a long list of chronic illnesses, particularly those that affect your heart. Swimming is a fantastic way of strengthening your heart muscles, and can even lower your resting (and working) heart rate to lessen the amount of work your heart has to do. Swimming also reduces your risk for type 2 diabetes, stroke, and other weight related diseases. On top of that, swimming is also a great way to boost your overall mood and manage stress.
Stay motivated and keep going!
The key to any fitness journey is to keep going. It may seem discouraging if you don’t see results right away, but keep at it! It helps to find different ways of staying motivated. You may want to find a swimming partner with similar goal to help keep you on track on days where you feel lazy and vice versa. This is most especially helpful in the beginning when you’re still trying to develop the habit of working out.
Your fitness goals don’t have to be dreams; start your journey now with swimming! If you don’t know proper swimming techniques or effective drills, consider enrolling in a class. If you are interested in enrolling in such classes, please contact us by sending us an email at thenoodies.ph@gmail.com or by sending us a message on Facebook. The Noodies Swim School offers individual and group classes from infants to adults!
Sources:
NHS | Web MD | Pop Sugar | Livestrong