Page 26 - Family Wellness - Spring/Summer 2016

24 Swimming
THE LONG DAYS OF SUMMER ARE ALMOST HERE, which means it’s once again time to grab your swimsuit and take the plunge. Whether you’re looking to splash around a pool or swim across a lake, working out in water is great for your body. Besides giving you a chance to cool off, water-based exercise builds strength and muscle definition, burns a ton of calories, and is a lot of fun to boot.
That’s because water is a great equalizer, bringing buoyancy and grace where there previously was none. Just look at penguins or Kevin Costner—on land they may waddle about but in the water and they move like ballerinas. “The natural buoyancy of water lessens the pull of gravity, making you feel lighter and more balanced,” says Christopher Karam, MD, at Performance Spine & Sports Medicine. “It offers a gentler environment, that lets you do more because you’re not carrying the extra weight.” And what could be better than floating in cool water on a hot day.
“You don’t have to swim in order to obtain the benefits of being in the water,” says Melissa Wenclawiak, physical therapist
BECAUSE IT MAKES YOU FEEL ALMOST WEIGHTLESS, SWIMMING REDUCES IMPACT ON JOINTS BY 90% COMPARED TO A LAND-BASED EXERCISE
at Performance Spine & Sports Medicine. “Walking through the water is a resistance workout as well that can reduce stress on joints through the buoyancy force that pushes your body upward.” She adds that water creates a natural resistance 12 to 15 times greater than what you have on land because water is thicker than air. So moving around in water during therapy sessions or aerobic fitness classes simultaneously tones
and strengthens your muscles, helping them stay long and flexible. Swimming takes this benefit even further by combining resistance training with advanced cardio, to build lean muscle and boost your metabolism.
SWIMMING FOR 30 MINUTES ONCE A WEEK CAN PROVIDE A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT TO ENERGY LEVELS
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Except for water polo and chicken fights, just about everything you do in the water is low-impact. And for anyone suffering from joint pain this can be a godsend. Whether
you have knee, back or ankle pain, swimming provides cardiovascular workouts without irritating injuries. “We see a lot of patients with chronic arthritis in areas like the knee or back,” says Karam. “Being in the water takes pressure off their affected joints so they can do an aerobic activity without feeling
the sort of pain that comes from walking or running.”
Depending on the severity of the pain, the affected joint can have certain weight-bearing restrictions
BECAUSE IT’S A FULL BODY WORKOUT, SWIMMING PUMPS BLOOD HARD TO THE ARMS AND LEGS, MEANING IT’S A GREAT WAY TO IMPROVE CIRCULATION
source: Amateur Swimming Association pssmwellness.com