Swimming in the pool: health benefits and harms for children, women and men

 What happens if you go to the pool every day.

• The content of the article

• History of the pools

• The benefits of swimming

• Full body and muscle training

• Pool training for asthma

• Swimming helps you lose weight

• Swimming improves sleep

• Improves mood and helps manage stress

• Swimming pool during pregnancy

• Swimming pool access for children

• What you need to know when visiting the pool?

History of the pools

Today, scientists believe that people began to use artificial tanks for swimming already 3,000 years ago. In Pakistan, a pit measuring 12 by 7 meters was found, lined with bricks and covered with a resin-based sealant. The building could be used by the inhabitants of that city both as a bath complex and as a ritual place with lifeguard class.

Later, the ancient Greeks also used the pool, and the Romans built artificial pools in the palestras for sports training, naval games and military exercises. Roman emperors had private pools that also kept fish. Swimming pools became popular in Great Britain in the middle of the 19th century. The British were also among the first to build indoor diving pools.

The benefits of swimming

Health benefits of swimming:

- increases the heart rate without putting the body under stress;

- improves power characteristics;

- maintains muscle tone;

- improves physical fitness;

- Helps manage weight.

Full body and muscle training

When a person swims, all major muscle groups are involved, but mainly the arms, legs, torso, abdominal muscles and back.

Swimming strengthens the cardiovascular system

Swimming perfectly strengthens the heart muscles and lungs. Studies show that swimmers are almost 50% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than people with a sedentary lifestyle. And the scientific work of Chinese scientists says that daily training in the pool has a positive effect on blood pressure with american lifeguard events.

Swimming Helps Fight Injuries, Arthritis and Other Illnesses

When recommended by a doctor, swimming is a safe and healthy exercise option for people with problems such as:

arthritis or joint problems;

injuries (spinal, fracture of certain limbs, meniscus rupture);

disability.

A 2016 study by scientists shows that people with osteoarthritis have significantly reduced pain and stiffness in their joints after exercising in the pool, as well as improved muscle mobility during regular swimming and cycling.

Water activities can help people even with chronic bone and joint diseases. In people with arthritis, water aerobics and simple swimming exercises improve the functioning of affected joints without worsening symptoms. And in people with rheumatoid arthritis, health improves much more after participating in hydrotherapy than after other activities outside the water.

Pool training for asthma

Humid air and the atmosphere of indoor pools are a comfortable environment for people with asthma. Studies by scientists from Canada say that breathing exercises with immersion under water and simply holding your breath during swimming exercises have a very good effect on the health of a person with this disease. It is during the training process in the pool that you can increase your lung capacity and learn to control your breathing.

Swimming helps you lose weight

Swimming is one of the most effective ways to burn fat, for example, even freestyle swimming actively works most of the muscles in the body. According to Mayo Clinic , a person weighing 70-75 kilograms burns more than 420-430 kilocalories per hour, swimming at a low or medium pace.

At the same time, a person with the same weight can burn up to 750 kilocalories per hour by swimming at a higher pace freestyle. If a person's weight reaches 90 kilograms, then in the same hour at an energetic pace, he will already lose up to 900 kilocalories.

Comparing swimming and a normal walk, you need to understand that a person on a walk with a weight of 70 kilograms will burn only about 300 kilocalories in it. Yoga burns approximately 180-190 kilocalories per hour. And on an elliptical trainer, it only takes 350-360 calories in the same time.

Swimming improves sleep

Scientific studies in the US have shown that sleep helps people get quality sleep at night. This is especially helpful for older people. In a pool analysis of elderly people with insomnia, more than half of the participants reported improvements in their mood and sleep after regular aerobic exercise in the pool.

About half of people over 65 experience some degree of insomnia. Research shows that any type of aerobic exercise in the water, including ellipticals, pedal boats, swimming pools, and exercise videos, helps people cope.

Improves mood and helps manage stress

Researchers in Australia studied the effects of water exercise for people with dementia and saw an improvement in mood after participating in a 12-week water exercise program. However, scientists emphasized that a change in mood for the better occurs in people without diseases at an older age.

Swimming pool during pregnancy

Danish experts , studying the effects of pregnant women in the pool, said they saw no side effects when exercising in chlorinated water. They also noticed that women who engaged in water exercises in early pregnancy and at 4-5 months had a lower risk of preterm birth and birth defects in the fetus.

However, scientists say that this is largely an individual process and every woman should consult with her doctor before starting any new exercise program during pregnancy.

Swimming pool access for children

The US Centers for Health and Disease Prevention writes that children need one hour of aerobic exercise each day. Swimming is a fun activity and doesn't have to be in the form of a typical workout. With the help of various water games and toys, children can have an active and safe time in the water.

Going to the pool can be a separate part of active activities if your child is already into swimming or water sports. Water games with children in the pool are great for strengthening the relationship with the child and help you keep track of your own and his activity.

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