Swim for fitness, swim for fun

Now that summer is finally here and the lake is slowly warming up, swimming is a wonderful thing to do to get your whole body moving in an easy, non-weight bearing way. It is a good exercise to begin getting healthy without so much stress to the system. There is actually no other exercise that can burn calories, boost metabolism and firm every muscle in your body without any stress on your joints.

Indiana University researcher Joel Stager, Ph.D., director of the Counsilman Center for the Science of Swimming at Bloomington has studied the effects of swimming for years. He reports that, "You can swim almost everyday without risking injury and you can't say that for running or strength training." He also reports "habitual swimmers are biologically up to 20 years younger than their actual age." They noted that swimmers had better blood pressure and cholesterol levels, had better cardiovascular performance and that their central nervous system and cognitive function was all comparable to someone far younger than their age.

Swimming is the perfect exercise because you can burn a lot of calories and recruit a significant number of muscles throughout your body. An easy hour swim burns 500 calories, a little harder swim up to 700. Because water is 800 times denser than air every movement is charged with muscles firing. This really can get your metabolism rolling. However, do not start with an hour at the beginning. Start with around 30 minutes and mix up your strokes and do shorter time frames. Do two to three laps and then rest for 30 seconds and then start 2-3 more laps. Research shows that "Swimming is not like walking, during which your heart rate drops quickly. It stays raised for 30 seconds after a few laps." So start slow and work toward spending 30 minutes a day at the lake or pool. Your body will thank you and of course it would be nice to be 20 years younger than our actual age.

Sheree DiBiase, PT, and her staff can be contacted at Lake City Physical Therapy (208) 667-1988 if you need a little help when it comes to your swimming program.