No matter what age we are, regular exercise offers us numerous benefits, including better heart health, stronger muscles, and overall better flexibility. As we age, though, some exercises may be just too intense or have too high of an impact on us. There are some forms of exercise that are great for seniors as they are low impact but still give many of the benefits that other forms of exercise offer. One of those activities is swimming. If you are thinking about taking up swimming, here are some of the benefits of swimming for seniors.
Low impact
Swimming is a non-weight-bearing activity. It is easier on your body than other forms of exercise and is especially suitable if you suffer from general joint discomfort. It gives you a full-body workout while keeping pressure off of your knees, hips and spine.
Increased flexibility
With all exercises, it is important to stretch before and after your workout. What is great about swimming is that it gives you an increased amount of flexibility as a benefit from doing this activity. The movements completed in swimming help with your hip, leg and arm flexibility. Additionally, this can help improve your posture.
Better mental health
Like many other forms of exercise, swimming can help relieve your stress, boost your overall mood and even increase your brain function. Regularly participating in swimming can also expand your social circle as you might meet new people at the pool that share your interests. That, in turn, may help increase your mental health as you will have a network of friends to spend time with.
Improved heart health
Regular swimming will help improve your heart and overall cardiovascular health. In addition, it could help lower your blood pressure and be of great benefit if you know that you have high or borderline high blood pressure. With regular swimming sessions, you can reduce your risk of heart and lung disease too.
Fighting osteoporosis
One of the biggest benefits of swimming is that it can improve your bone mineral density and help fight off osteoporosis. For women, this is very important as 1/3 of women over 50 will experience a bone fracture or break due to osteoporosis.
Better muscle strength
Moving in water forces your body to use the majority of muscles in your body and puts those muscle groups to work. This is a form of resistance training, which is great for strengthening your muscles in the long run. Eventually, with regular swimming sessions, you will see much more lean muscle forming and start to notice that your body is becoming toned.
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