Therapy for Life

Swimming Benefits

Whether you want to learn how to swim for safety, as a distraction from life, for your health or competitively, once you do, you will have a sport, friends and form of therapy for life.

With your face in the water, and arms moving rhythmically, you can escape the troubles of everyday life and focus on your mental well-being. It places little stress on your joints too, while still having a beneficial impact on your cardiovascular & respiratory fitness, and building healthy muscle mass.

It’s also a great social outlet, whether you swim with friends, or a club, or even go to the pool, or the open water by yourself, you will also get a friendly welcome from a fellow swimmer.

Full body workout

Swimming is one of the best activities out there for all-round fitness, each swimming session will target your stomach, arms, legs, bottom and back. Swimming gives you a complete body workout! Swimming will also help improve flexibility and strength, and most importantly ,it’s a great aerobic exercise meaning your heart will be healthy and happy.

Affordable to all

Swimming has no real entry level, which makes it great for beginners, and it doesn’t cost much. Public pools sessions are inexpensive, and the open water is free! Neither pool nor open water swimming require much equipment – just a costume, hat, goggles and towel will suffice. Though if you’re swimming in the sea, you might also want a wetsuit and brightly-coloured tow-float, and if you’re in the pool, you can borrow bits and pieces, like kickboards, pull buoys and noodles.

Accessible to all

Swimming can be a solo or group activity, and can be done by just about anyone and any time in their lives. Even if you are older, pregnant or have a physical, sensory or learning impairment, swimming is still available to you – there’s even a group of deaf swimmers in Ireland who swam the English Channel!

Therapeutic benefits

Swimming has been proven to provide great relief to anyone suffering from arthritis, osteoarthritis and chronic back pain, as it eases the load on the joints and pressure is evenly distributed. Swimming has also been shown to have positive results for people who suffer from diabetes, helping those individuals to burn calories, lose weight and help to control their blood sugar levels.

Quality breathe

Swimming has also been shown to have fantastic transformative results for your lungs – when running or cycling your breathing becomes quicker and exhaling becomes more forceful, but with swimming it’s the other way around. You breathe deeply and let the air slowly trickle out improving the strength of your respiratory muscles. This means it’s the best form of exercise for people with asthma, and former smokers looking to gain back some of what cigarettes have taken away from them.

Mood boosting

Swimming can also be a great mood-lifter, as the meditative nature of the repetitive strokes and the feeling of weightlessness can be very uplifting and freeing. This could be part of the reason why, once people take up swimming, they tend to stick with it much more so than with other more forms of exercise.

Please note Swim Ireland recommend that you always consult with your doctor before starting a new activity if you do have any existing health conditions.

Why You Should Swim

8 Reasons

  • Swimming is a low impact exercise
  • Swimming is a Sport for Life
  • Swimming Builds Cardiorespiratory Fitness
  • Swimming Builds Muscle Mass
  • Swimming is a great alternative when injured
  • Swimming Burns Calories
  • Swimming has Psychological, Emotional and Social Benefits
  • Swimming Improves Mental Health

Click below to find out all the reasons why you should be swimming!

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