The Ladders
Thursday November 14, 2019
Meredith Lepore
SHUTTERSTOCK
It seems like every day a new workout is popping up-have you heard about “Shock Therapy,” one of the first workout studios in New York City to offer a fitness class that features an electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) bodysuits being strapped to you while you exercise. Yup, that isn’t made up and it’s probably quite popular.
Yes, it seems like workouts are getting much more bizarre (you can have an instructor hologram reflection now come into your house via a computer-programmed Mirror) and high tech which is why this research from Harvard Health is so refreshing. The workout that may keep you in peak health well into the golden years is one of the simplest. The only equipment you need is a swimming pool (or pond, or lake or ocean) and hopefully a swimsuit.
According to a 2017 study by Swim England, swimmers have a 28% lower risk of early death and a 41% lower risk of death as a result of stroke or heart disease.”Swimming is good for individuals with arthritis because it’s less weight-bearing,” Dr. I-Min Lee, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, told Harvard Health. Here is why it works so well.
It is a full-body workout
“While calorie expenditure during swimming depends on many different factors, the average person swimming freestyle at a moderate intensity will burn 500-550 calories an hour,” Dr. Samuel Chan, DPT, ATC, CSCS, told PopSugar.
It is low impact
It is great if you are nursing an injury or are just sick of pounding your bones against the pavement. And as you age, this will be particularly useful on those bones but at the same time, you will build muscle which keeps you healthier.
It is great for your lungs
Breathing is so nice, right? Well, you need your lungs to stay in tip-top shape for that and swimming helps. Research finds a strong link between stronger lung capacity and swimmers.
Swimming has mental health benefits
Looking to reduce stress? Take a swim. A study found that when rats swam they actually generated new brain cells which helped to replaced the ones that had been weakened due to stress (this is called hippocampal neurogenesis.) Swimming also boosts blood flow to the brain so you can think more clearly. Outdoor Voices CEO Tyler Haney actually goes to a public pool every morning before work. “I think of it as priming myself for the day,” she told CNBC. “I have to work out in the morning.”
Studies have also shown that swimming helps with depression, helps release tension and anxiety and promotes over all self-worth and happiness. Who needs Disney World when you can just splash around in the pool?