Swimming

Time for a dive into swimming as exercise

The weather is getting warmer and with warmer weather comes bathing suits and water sports/activity. So today we have a guest author, Dean Hutchinson, a physical therapist and swim coach to tell us how swimming can be a great way to increase your activity/exercise for the #IMWChallenge.

So let’s dive into swimming!

Photo by chrissie kremer on Unsplash

As the April Fitness Challenge comes to a close,  we love to talk about variable avenues of exercise.  Swimming is one of the best pound for pound exercises you can find.  It is the greatest full body form of cardio on the market with low impact on joints.  Jumping in crisp clean water also does something for the system as far as stimulating and cleaning the entire system.  As a physical therapist, it is my go to form of exercise I offer patients, in that I know we are going to work the heart, but without compromising knees, hips and ankles, like jogging on concrete or even a track.  The more exercise you can do without compromising the joints that literally carry you around town, the better.

Photo by Marcia Soligo on Unsplash

Our arms generally do not get much cardio work in most gym related programs.  Swimming is going to improve range of motion, flexibility and strength of your arms, shoulders and upper back.  It is truly constant motion. All body parts working at once. Your core is challenged on every single lap.  If you get tired, walk a few laps, then get back to swimming. Just keep swimming.  This is not a race. It is your own free space to swim, walk, jump, kick, and swim again to get more exercise done in a short period of time than anything you can do on land.

Photo by Aldrin Rachman Pradana on Unsplash

It works on flexibility, it works on conditioning. It works on lung capacity.  Cardiovascular endurance is challenged in the pool more than any other recreational exercise.  As a physical therapist and swimming coach, I cannot stress enough how much reduced stress on the hips, knees, ankles and back is achieved in exercising in a pool.  You can achieve a lot in 30 minutes in a pool and feel better the rest of the day.  Swimming leaves you with a bonus, you will have a hint of chlorine smell on you all day to remind you that you started your day off with a great workout!  As a retired swimmer, the best feeling after a long flight anywhere is to dive into a pool and swim to clear off the airport "feel" that everyone knows too well.  I can be anywhere in the world, but give me a pool and I am home.   

JUST KEEP SWIMMING!!!

 Dean Hutchinson, MSPT 
605 Glen Avenue
Moorestown, NJ 08057 
P: (856) 335-5060

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Thanks Dean.

So we are midway thru the April Exercise/Activity #IMWChallenge and as we can see, when it comes to exercise, there are different strokes for different folks. Sorry but I had to get that play on words in. If not you would surely be missing out!

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Meme of the day

As always questions and comments welcome and encouraged.