Swimming


Swimming, swimming was a sport that gave me confidence by first letting go my fear of drowning and second it helped me let go of my stress every time I went into the pool. When you go to a pool and swim do you ever question yourself Does swimming help me at all ? Well swimming helps you more than a lot, Did you know Swimming not only tones your muscles , it also helps strengthen your bones, especially at an advanced age. When you swim and you feel how the water in your face goes down while you go up to take a breath, that pressure that you feel to catch your breath and go back down, that coordination of hands, knees, arms and feet, that pleasure that you feel when you go back to the water, every single movement helps you exercise every single part of your body.

I think that one of the good thing about swimming is that it helps you exercise without even noticing. When you get into the pool you do different types of exercise some may seem funnier than others but each one has an specific purpose. The water makes you float and swim without touching the ground but your body is actually doing all does exercises just like if you were doing them standing up.You do exercise without even noticing when you do competitions of how fast can you swim. Every time you move your arms to move forward and every time you paddle with your feet to get farther you exercise them, every time you move your neck to go breath you exercise your neck, every time you do any type of movement you exercise it.

Every second you breath, when you talk, when you run, when you walk but when you swim you coordinate your body with your breathing. When you swim different type of styles you know that you have to move your arms or knees first, you also know that every time you make a special movement you turn your head into the surface and take a deep breath and do all the process again until you want to stop. Swimming is so good for the respiratory system that it helps asthma patients in avoiding asthma attacks because it helps in their breathing methods and can improve their condition in general. Everything you do in swimming is coordinating with your movements but most important with your breathing.

Swimming helps you relax because when you swim you release endorphins and has the same effects as yoga on the human body, helping in relieving stress. Every time you get into the water you float, that gives you some of the sensation of flying in the air because you're normally not touching the ground. You also stop thinking about what's going on outside the swimming pool because of all the things that you are doing at the same time and because you can’t really hear clearly while you're under the water. Swimming can be more relaxing when you go at a slow pace because you glide through the water instead, if you go to a faster pace you work out more.

Some people think that swimming is not a healthy sport because of the chlorine that there is in the water. Chlorine is a heavy chemical that is needed pools for hygiene, but it has a strong odor, makes your eyes red, sometimes causes allergic reactions and can link to cancer. It can cause your skin and hair to dry out and over time too much exposure can even cause wrinkles. However some part of the chlorine can be avoided by getting wet before going swimming, or using a goggles in your eyes, you could also wear a swimming cap.

Swimming is one of the best sports in health, it not only helps you exercise every part of your body but also it makes your body stronger. You can use swimming for everything, if you want to relax in the water you just go in a slow pace but if you want to work out you go at higher pace. It can help to lower the pain if your joints hurt and your muscles are stiff, since in the pool your body weight decreases, it reduces the pressure over your muscles and joints. This sport can be a home or a special place for some people, like the great Michael Phelps once said in his competitions “Swimming is normal for me. I'm relaxed. I'm comfortable, and I know my surroundings. It's my home.”