Swimming and moving in water has lots of body benefits. Water acts as a support and as resistance.
You may not get an aerobic workout but you’re still using and strengthening muscle when you move through water.
Why would you like stronger muscles? Perhaps because you’d like less pain and discomfort? To feel more youthful and comfortable?
This article explains more.
I never learned to swim when I was a kid. In fact, I used to be kind of afraid of the water.
Every time I took swimming lessons, I ended up freezing and shivering and never got past Lesson #2.
But then I grew up and one day I was in the pool and said to my son, “Watch this!”
And he said, “What am I watching?”
And I said, “You are watching me not drown!”
I may (okay, will) never be a great swimmer but I taught myself not to drown and that’s a major improvement in my ‘swimming’ ability!
- Water exercises or movements are great for bodies. The water acts as resistance as your arms and legs swish through the water. Resistance builds muscle.
- You won’t sweat when you are exercising in the pool. I think that’s a big plus!
- Moving in the water lets the water massage your muscles. Massage is a good thing!
- Letting the water support you removes the weight of gravity. Your spine can lengthen when you bob or float and that’s a good thing.
When you’re out of the water, gravity pulls you down. It squashes your spine and all of your soft organs. Not good.
Water removes the pressure of gravity and that IS good!
You don’t have to know how to swim or even how to float to enjoy moving your muscles in water.
There are lots of flotation type devices that can hold your head and shoulders over the water if you’re not comfortable on your own.
That’s how I learned how to be comfortable and “swim”. I used a foam swim belt that snapped in front and wrapped around my sides and back. Eventually, I was comfortable without it.
I also gave myself the mental message: Water is my friend. Water supports me. I learned to be comfortable in a huge Great Lake but I only went in when it was pretty still.
Here I am. I’m a mermaid. A really slow mermaid. Demonstrating how to move in water when you cannot really swim.
If you’re ready to start getting rid of pain–especially back and neck pain–I’d like to invite you to discover more ways to strengthen your muscles and improve your posture in my Simple Strengthening self-help course. It’s easy and simple and so beneficial!
