It’s February and we can’t help but have hearts on the brain. Not only is Valentine’s Day just around the corner, but February is American Heart Month. According to the American Heart Association, American Heart Month is a federally designated event, and an ideal time to remind Americans to focus on their hearts and encourage them to get their families, friends and communities involved.
As the state of Iowa’s premiere concrete pool builder we get requests all year round to build pools for every reason under the sun (no pun intended), but in the spirit of American Heart Month, we wanted to remind you of all the heart healthy benefits of swimming that can come along with building your backyard getaway.
2,300 Americans die of cardiovascular disease every day. At this magnitude, it’s only a matter of time before this hits close to home, if it hasn’t already. This month we wanted to share with you the top 3 heart healthy benefits of swimming in our opinion.
Swimming can provide all the benefits to your ticker that a typical aerobic exercise would, without the aches and pains that come with weight-bearing exercises like running.
Since you swim by moving your body through water rather than air, external pressure is distributed evenly across limbs alleviating a concentration of pressure on your knees, hips, or other joints and thus reducing the overall stress on your body during the workout.
A recent article published in Time magazine cites a study conducted by Hirofumi Tanaka, the professor of kinesiology and director of the Cardiovascular Aging Research Lab at the University of Texas. In this study Tanaka touts a list of health benefits to swimming including a decrease in arterial stiffness, lower blood pressure among people with hypertension, as well as, the strengthening of respiratory muscles.
Swimming can provide you with more bang for your buck.
It’s no secret that being physically active can lend to good heart health and the prevention of cardiovascular disease, but did you know that 30 minutes of swimming can provide the same amount of benefits that 45 minutes of land based exercise does? If you’re short on time, this could mean all the difference in squeezing in that workout for the day or skipping it altogether.
According to swim.org aside from the time savings you can gain from incorporating swimming into your workout, your heart health can benefit, as well. Having a high level of cholesterol can lead to serious heart health issues including narrowing arteries, heart attacks, and stroke. By swimming for just 30 minutes, you can boost your metabolism, increase good cholesterol levels, as well as reduce dangerous cholesterol.
Swimming knows no age.
Perhaps one of the biggest heart healthy benefits of swimming is the fact that you can enjoy it for a lifetime.
Swimming lessons at an early age can remove a child’s fear of the water; encouraging them to embrace it as a form of exercise throughout their life.
Throughout early and middle adult years as you find your stride in a workout routine, swimming can serve as a great form of cross-training for those accustomed to running or cycling.
As we grow older, swimming is a great way to stay active and maintain heart health while providing relief to joints and even lower back pain (see point #1).
Most importantly, it’s important to remember that no matter how young or old, it’s never too late to start. If you’re looking for ways to improve your wellness, the heart healthy benefits of swimming are always an option.
Do you heart someone who would benefit from this information? In the spirit of American Heart Month…pass it on.
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