Were not all wet, when we say that its swimming. This all-purpose exercise tones muscle, increases flexibility, conditions the heart and blood vessels, helps shed weight, and even relieves tension.
Swimming is so great for the body because it uses all the muscles of the arms, legs and trunk without emphasizing any one area. And while it may seem to require no effort, it actually uses up calories at the rate of three hundred to one thousand an hour. You do work up a sweat, but water is washing it away.
Another reason swimming is called perfect is that it can be done by just about anybody. It doesnt matter how old you are or what physical shape youre in. Even those with chronic physical ailments can get in the swim. In fact, it is recommended for people with arthritis (it loosens stiff joints), backaches (it strengthens back and abdominal muscles), asthma (the air near the water is usually relatively dust-free), and varicose veins (the movements of the limbs through water massages leg veins and reduces swelling). Swimming can be especially wonderful for the overweight; their fat tissue makes them particularly buoyant and they can maneuver easily. And a recent study found that swimming is an excellent exercise for cardiac patients. Eight men, aged forty-nine to sixty-six, who had had a heart attack eight to seventeen months earlier were tested first on an exercise bicycle and then in a swimming pool. Fewer incidents of severe chest pain occurred when the patients were in the water. Oxygen uptake was also hi
gher while the patients were swimming.
