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Swimming on holiday is easy. It’s hot, you need to cool off, the beautiful water looks cooling and calming and you’ve probably had at least a glass of wine already, so your usual inhibitions are a little relaxed. However, swimming for exercise during the week is also ridiculously enticing for those of us who have cracked the secret code. Here we share our top five reasons why you should go for a swim this week, in case you needed tempting.
Research shows that the human body tones in water, even before you’ve done any exercise. Water provides a natural resistance to any movement you try to make, so any walking, turning, bending and stretching in water is great for strengthening and toning your muscles. So even if you don’t feel up to swimming for long periods of time or you lack confidence in your swimming technique, being in the water at all is still great for your body. More toned skin? Who’d say no to that.
After jogging and running up stairs (no, thank you) swimming is one of the highest calorie burning exercises you can do. What’s more: the arms, the legs and the core are all being used when you swim so it’s a great total body workout. The best strokes for maximum impact are front crawl and butterfly, but even a moderate breast stroke will burn ~500 calories an hour.
Swimming is an impact free sport, so whether you’re suffering from injury or keen to avoid one, swimming is the best activity comes when it comes to exercising the body without risk. If you’re a keen runner or cyclist, then swimming also offers a great alternative workout on your usual rest days – still offering a full aerobic workout with none of the impact on your joints (but all of the impact on your mind..)
If, like us, a gym with pumping music and lots of alpha males leaping about is not really your thing, then swimming almost certainly might be. Whether you prefer to listen to your own music with a set of underwater headphones (our favourite five coming to a blog near you soon) or simply enjoy the peace and quiet of the underwater world, the swimming pool is your oyster, so to speak.
What’s more: slow and regular breathing is key to swimming and so even the most agitated and anxious mind is forced to relax and decompress as you maintain control of your breathing in conjunction with your stroke.
When the hard work is over, there is nothing quite like a final relax and unwind in the sauna or steam room. Again, great for the metabolism and the skin, as well as relieving your muscles and reducing tension in your joints, a quick dip in a sauna or steam room is a perfect and well deserved post-swim treat. You earned it.
Have we tempted you? We hope so. If you're still looking for a cossie for that swim, check out our First Collection for flattering and supportive kit to ensure you look and feel great too.
