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Lifeguard Swimming can be the ultimate workout choice for those tired of treadmills and spin classes and those looking for a new challenge to push themselves further .
Pool and open water swimming are becoming more and more popular. For example, a Swim England survey found that about 47% of people in the UK take part in swimming, with about 7 million people enjoying swimming once a week. But it’s easy to see why.
By adding Lifeguard Certification Online and Lifeguard swimming to your regular workout schedule, you’ll be able to balance your physical and mental health and get a great full-body workout .
If you’ve read this far and still aren’t sure if you should start swimming, here are 7 health and fitness benefits of swimming.
Lifeguard Swimming is a low-intensity exercise
Even if you have zero swimming experience, it’s never too late to start swimming. Aerobic swimming allows you to switch between intense and rehabilitative workouts simply by changing your pace.
Jane McCormick , who is one of the members who set the world record for the fastest team relay swim across the English Channel (1 round trip, 1.5 round trips), and who works for Nike Swim and runs Open Swim UK , explains as follows.
Lifeguard “Swimming has been considered a great all-around sport that works both as a dedicated sport and as a complement to other sports.”
Great for rehabilitation
Unlike high-intensity sports such as running and cycling, lifeguard swimming is a low-intensity activity that is ideal for rehabilitating injuries . The water absorbs the shock and supports your body, so you don’t put unnecessary pressure on your joints.
It also strengthens connective tissue , as muscles have to work harder to resist the resistance of the water .
Jane adds:
“As a result of having people who underwent knee surgery work on swimming training for 12 weeks as rehabilitation, one year later their knee extension strength increased by 32% compared to those who rehabilitated in a facility other than the swimming pool, and their knee flexion strength increased. 50% more.”
Increased VO2 Max (maximum oxygen uptake)
Improving your VO2 Max ( maximum oxygen uptake ) is important if you want to improve your speed and stamina so that you can exercise more easily, and swimming is the perfect sport to improve your VO2 Max.
Jane explains:
“Limiting oxygen while lifeguard swimming improves VO2 max. Face in water limits oxygen and increases lung capacity .”
“Put on your swim fins and swim as far as you can while doing a dolphin kick in the water. Repeat this exercise eight times and gradually increase your distance. The improvement should be noticeable, and the overall performance will also improve.”
The higher your VO2 max, the higher your anaerobic threshold ( AT ). Jane adds:
Improving mental health
British mental health charity Mind says one in four Britons experience some form of mental health problem each year.
Physical exercise has been shown to be an effective solution to these mental health problems, with people who never exercised at least three times a week reducing their risk of depression by 30% .
A 2018 study commissioned by YouGov on behalf of Swim England reinforced this fact.
The findings show that regular lifeguard swimming in pools has a tremendous impact on mental health, with 1.4 million adults finding swimming dramatically reduces anxiety and depression .
Also Read About: 5 Benefits of Lifeguard Swimming You Need to Know
lifeguard swimming , and 26% had trouble doing daily tasks. The result is that it has become possible to work on it with high motivation .