We live in a particularly hot summer, but the temperature doesn’t have to reach 40 degrees Celsius to want us to get wet, whether it’s on the beach, the pool, or any other body of water where bathing is possible. Many will take the opportunity to swim either for pleasure or because it is one of the most complete exercises we know of, with health benefits that affect not only our bodies but also our minds.

It’s a complete workout.
We have heard many times that swimming is one of the most complete exercises that can be done to improve our physical health. Swimming requires a lot of muscle activation, and it is also an intense exercise because of the resistance the water puts on our movement. In addition, compared to other activities such as running, the body receives less impact while exercising because it stays under water.

But also for mental health.
This is how José Morales García, a neuroscientist at the Complutense University of Madrid, explains this in a recent article in which he highlights another advantage of swimming, its benefits for our mental health. In it, he notes that swimming “promotes the release of substances in the brain that improve cognition and memory, thanks in part to the fact that it helps make new brain connections.”

Hormone problem.
Swimming can also help reduce stress and improve our mood in general, and endorphins are partly to blame. These are the hormones our bodies produce and are key to this function. Endorphins are our body’s “internal morphine” responsible for relieving pain. When released during exercise, they create a sense of well-being and pleasure, and also make swimming thoroughly addictive.

As a result, swimming has been successfully used as a substitute for psychiatric drugs. But in addition to that, there are several studies that span a wide age range, from those who find the benefits of swimming in the youngest to those that focus on the oldest.

Endorphins are not the only hormones involved in these processes. Swimming can also reduce levels of cortisol, a stress-related hormone, and increase the concentration of serotonin, which creates a pleasant sensation like endorphins.

It is also important to relax.
Perhaps some of these benefits come not from the exercise itself, but from the environment, the water. Water allows us to somehow “insulate” ourselves from the external environment. According to Morales García, the factors are intermingled, “the liquid medium provides relaxation, but in addition, the rhythmic movement of swimming puts us in a meditative state.”

It’s a common opinion.
Swimming is recommended as a healthy practice by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among other organizations. In addition to its benefits for the elderly and people with arthritis, the CDC also notes the effect on mood and anxiety levels; as well as recommending in pregnancies and families.

The CDC isn’t the only public organization to highlight the benefits of swimming. Near our antipodes, in Australia, authorities are highlighting the benefits of this practice on physical and mental health, reducing stress and facilitating relaxation.

Get the most out of swimming.
As you can imagine, even getting into the water can help improve our condition, but it’s also a good idea to know how to get the most out of swimming. Juan-Antonio Moreno-Murcia of Miguel Hernández University compiles some of this advice.

The first tip is to become familiar with swimming at an early age. Perhaps for many this advice comes late, but it can always be applied to future generations. A common recommendation is to take precautions to avoid risks from swimming, such as drowning. Safety conditions can vary greatly if we compare swimming pools with lakes and reservoirs or the open sea.

Some suggestions, such as the swimming style we will choose, may differ according to the purpose. The front crawl and the backstroke are quite similar, providing control of the rhythm of movement involving various muscle groups. In the frog kick, more balanced work is required between the arms and legs, in which different and at the same time various muscle groups intervene. The muscles worked while swimming butterfly style also differ, making it the muscle that burns the most calories per minute.

Not all benefits.
Of course, not all of the advantages of swimming are. The risk of suffocation is minimal if the necessary precautions are taken, but should always be considered. Some researchers have focused on other problems that can arise from swimming, particularly those from water treatment products that can be inhaled in indoor pools. For now, yes, the results of research linking this inhalation with asthma problems have been inconclusive.

Take care of your health in summer.
Taking care of your health is important year-round, but each season has its own threats and opportunities. Summer gives us the opportunity to swim more and in different places, but it also brings risks from the sun, such as skin cancer, or from heat, such as heatstroke. Not only that, life habits are changing as well, so we need to be mindful of issues such as our alcohol consumption, moderate betting, etc. For all these reasons, it is important to always take precautions no matter what sport we do and when we do not.

Image | Todd Vakkenbush