Swimming just might be the best exercise out there. Here’s why.
Experts detail the benefits of swimming, from strengthening your muscles to reducing inflammation and boosting your mental health—and how to get started.
Swimming comes with a host of health benefits, including muscle toning and strengthening, reduced inflammation, and boosted heart, lung, and mental health. Yet, exercises like running, cycling, and lifting weights get all the attention.
It turns out, propelling one’s body mass through water activates numerous systems and makes the low-impact, high-results nature of the sport second to none. It also explains why Americans make more than 300 million recreational swimming visits a year, making it the fourth most popular recreational activity in the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Swimming provides an array of specific benefits, such as improved cardiovascular and respiratory fitness, improved muscle strength and endurance, improved lean body mass, lower risk of traumatic injuries such as occurs during high-impact activities, and improved mental health and well-being,” says Mitch Lomax, a pulmonologist and exercise physiologist at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom.
Here are all the good things swimming does to your body, plus tips for getting started.
Swimming promotes heart health
Arguably the most important health benefit of swimming is improved circulation and cardiovascular efficiency, diminishing the risk of heart attack and stroke associated with heart disease.
“Swimming is a whole-body rhythmic and dynamic activity that raises your heart rate and reduces your blood pressure effectively,” says Hirofumi Tanaka, co-author of multiple swimming-related studies and the director of the Cardiovascular Aging Research Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin.
It decreases blood pressure, in part, by reducing the hardening or stiffening of blood vessels and by lowering oxidative stress and inflammation levels throughout the body.
(Why heart attacks are rising in young adults—and what to watch out for)
It also impacts the relationship between your cardiovascular and respiratory systems as your lungs work harder to meet the demands of a climbing heart rate.
“The hydrostatic pressure of swimming in water paired with the increase in central blood volume, challenges the respiratory system and makes inhaling more challenging than when breathing on land,” says Lori Sherlock, an exercise physiology professor, Ironman challenger, and aquatic therapy coordinator at West Virginia University School of Medicine.
This process increases lung capacity and strengthens the cardiac muscle, “and significantly increases the efficiency of the cardiovascular system,” says John Whyte, the chief executive officer and executive vice president of the American Medical Association.
(The ability to reverse damage to your lungs and heart is tantalizingly close)
Swimming improves every muscle in the body
Swimming has a tremendous impact on the musculoskeletal system. “To propel yourself forward, swimming requires the utilization of many major muscle groups of the body,” says Heather Massey, a senior lecturer and sports exercise scientist at the University of Portsmouth.
These include core muscles, hip flexors, neck muscles, arm, hand and shoulder muscles, chest and back muscles, plus glutes, and leg and feet muscles. “It’s probably safe to assume that if you can name a muscle, it’s likely used at some point during swimming,” says Lomax.
This form of water resistance has the added advantage of muscle strengthening and toning, “without the wear and tear associated with weightlifting,” says Whyte. And it does so without the inconvenience of perspiration, “which really deters some people from exercising more often,” says Christopher Travers, an exercise physiologist at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
(Here’s why mobility should be a key part of your fitness routine)
Studies show that it increases range of motion, reduces joint pain, enhances flexibility, improves posture, and slows down the aging process. It can help people with arthritis and multiple sclerosis and is good for blood glucose management.
“Swimming facilitates glucose uptake and usage via insulin-independent mechanisms and improves insulin sensitivity,” explains Massey.
Swimming increases metabolism
Repeated swim strokes and movement can burn a ton of calories. One public health analysis found that a 155-pound person burns 281 calories per hour treading water or swimming at a moderate pace but can burn as many as 704 calories per hour swimming laps freestyle at a vigorous pace. The butterfly stroke burns as many as 774 calories per hour.
In these ways, it’s a whole body workout that can “aid in weight management goals,” says Matthew Anastasi, a physician and sports medicine specialist at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.
One caveat to this is that cold water is known to cool down the blood that circulates around the hypothalamus, which controls appetite, thereby making swimmers more likely to snack after exercise than people participating in other sports.
In addition to the effect cold water has on the hypothalamus, the body also must work harder to maintain its core temperature in cold water, “leading to an increased hunger,” says Whyte. He says this tendency is something you can be aware of and resist if you’re swimming to shed unwanted weight.
Swimming boosts mental health
Studies show that moving through water increases blood flow to the brain and causes a release of the hormones serotonin and dopamine. That can help ameliorate mood disorders and has even been shown to improve memory.
(These 6 strategies are scientifically proven to boost your memory)
“Swimming has also been shown to reduce stress levels, improve negative emotional states, and even decreases symptoms of anxiety and depression, thanks to the meditative nature of rhythmic breathing and water’s soothing effect,” says Whyte. The practice also helps some people sleep better, likely because of its stress-relieving benefits and physical exertion requirements.
Not only is swimming good for your mental health, it’s a wonderful way to connect and engage with others in your community, says Anastasi. It can help strengthen relationships closer to home as well.
Tanaka points to a study he co-authored analyzing nearly 200 swimmers that shows people who swim often enjoy more active and satisfying sex lives, with fewer performance-related issues such as erectile dysfunction and dyspareunia.
(9 simple ways to boost your mental health)
Swimming is open to everyone
The best part, the exercise scientists say, is that the benefits of swimming aren’t limited to young athletes.
One reason is that the buoyancy of water reduces strain on muscle joints and muscle tissue, which makes the exercise accessible to many people. “Swimming transcends physical limitations so that even individuals who have neurologic, orthopedic, cardiovascular, respiratory or musculoskeletal disorders or diseases can all benefit,” Sherlock explains.
The density of water also provides support and reduces the risk of falling that exists more commonly in activities like running or playing active land-based sports.
(Here’s why it’s important to strengthen joints and tendons)
“Because swimming occurs in a hypogravity environment and is a low-impact activity, it reduces the risk of traumatic fractures compared with high-impact activities” says Lomax. This is one reason swimming and hydrotherapy are used to help people heal from an injury or certain medical conditions, explains Travers.
He adds that the support of water makes swimming a more accessible exercise solution to people who are overweight or obese, a condition that affects more than 2 in 5 Americans.
How to start swimming
As accessible as swimming is, it does have a learning curve with strokes and proper technique. If you don’t know how to swim, “a good place to start is to follow a swimming program at your local YMCA, health club, or community swimming pool,” says Anastasi.
Most offer swimming lessons for beginners, and some have programs for advanced or competitive swimmers. Hiring a swim coach is also advisable if more one-on-one help is desired.
Freestanding water aerobics classes at community facilities don’t require swim experience, but still provide the support and many of the benefits that come from exercising in water.
Some experts recommend a mix of both swimming and other water-based workouts when starting out. “Performing one or two swim laps followed by water walking or jogging and repeating this sequence may seem more approachable for beginners,” says Sherlock.
Because of how physically taxing swimming can be, Lomax recommends incorporating rest days into your exercise schedule to allow muscles time to recuperate. “Once you get fitter and more accustomed to the demands of swimming, back-to-back sessions will pose much less of an issue,” she says.
(Here’s why 7,000 steps per day is all you really need)
Above all, as with any form of exercise, making it fun is key to ensuring you stick with it long term.
As Whyte concludes, “swimming is not just an exercise but an enjoyable and refreshing experience that can enhance your physical health, mental well-being, and quality of life, so dive in and let the transformative journey begin.”
