what are the benefits of swimming? see pictures at the buttom of the page

Swimming is a very good exercise and a perfect way to work out all the body muscles. Its benefits are numerous to the whole body .

Swimming is a healthy activity that can be continued for a lifetime. The health benefits swimming offers are worth the effort. If you do not know how to swim, taking swimming lessons or teaching yourself how to swim better are great ways to help you to enjoy fitness swimming [personally, i learnt how to swim by my self through the use of floater and determination, i had no prior lessons what so ever] just like learning how to talk as a baby or learning  how to ride a bicycle ones you know it you can never forget.

Swimming works practically all of the muscles in the body (if you do a variety of strokes). Swimming can develop a swimmer's general strength, cardiovascular fitness and endurance. [endurance in the sense of length of time a swimmer can seize breath under water and the continuous body movement].

·       What are the benefits of swimming?

·       For [the health] swimming benefits our heart and lungs according to Steve Silverman “Swimming strengthens the body, helps relax the mind, regulates breathing, stimulates circulation and helps improve lung capacity. Unlike specific weight training exercises or running, swimming benefits the upper body, torso and legs together and it will improve general strength, lung capacity, stamina and cardiovascular fitness’.

·       Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/317167-the-effects-of-swimming-on-the-lungs/#ixzz2VWqkz7XW

·        For [pleasure] swimming is a way of relaxation It fills a wonderful recreational need for individuals and families, giving us  the chance to hang out with some of our friends and family at the pool. For example, Spending time in a group workout, whether water aerobics or a master's swim practice, is a great social outlet. [in my personal experience I enjoy it more when I swim with friends and taking part in under water games such as swimming through a roll of friends who split up their legs under water as I swim through their legs from the beginning of the roll to the end , to make this type of game interesting you have to be at least more than three on a roll. Also another water game I love to do is participating in pool volley ball] Challenging each other and sharing in the hard work make swimming with others an interesting and rewarding experience. In other words swimming in groups or with friends enables you to have fun while working out your whole body muscles.

KEY POINT; Regular swimming builds endurance, muscle strength and cardio-vascular fitness. Swimming with increasing effort to gradually increase your heart rate and stimulate your muscle activity is easily accomplished in the water.

·       There are other psychological benefits to swimming, as suggested by Mat Luebbers if you allow it to occur. Relax and swim with a very low effort. Let your mind wander, focusing on nothing but the rhythm of your stroke. This form of meditation can help you gain a feeling of well-being, leaving your water session refreshed and ready to go on with the rest of your day.

·       According to Mat Luebber, many swimmers find an in-direct benefit form swimming. They develop life skills such as sportsmanship, time-management, self-discipline, goal-setting, and an increased sense of self-worth through their participation in the sport. Swimmers seem to do better in school, in general terms, than non-swimmers as a group.

However there are down sides associated with swimming

Chlorine can cause a lot of damage to the skin and hair.

Pool chemicals (chlorine) chemically react with a person's hair and skin. That reaction causes skin irritation,[dryness], hair damage, and the "chlorine" smell that lingers after swimming. The only way to fix this problem is to fix the damage done by the pool chemicals reacting with the skin/hair. One way to do this is by using a concentrated solution of vitamin C. See SwimSpray.com for a description of how this works. [personally, I do experience dryness in my hair and on my skin, my skin looks white after swimming session and my hair feels very dry and coarse,  in other to get read of the damage, what I do is wash my hair with swimmers shampoo before entering the pool and I repeat the same procedure after swimming then ones I get home I deep condition my hair with blended avocado, banana, mayonnaise, and coconut milk, I leave it to sit on my head for 30 minutes then I reins it off and have my shower] [I usually don’t rub any protective cream on my body before diving in the pool, but it is advised to put on protective serum on the skin in other to protect the skin from chlorine damage].

Chlorine has the ability to burn the tips of your hair off, resulting in a strand of hair having a blunt end. When the hair grows back an illusion of thicker and darker hair is given. Furthermore, hair loss on the head can be significant. The hair, if exposed on a regular basis, will dry out, resulting in an increase in split ended hair strands and bleached ends. Chlorination disrupts the complex electronic structure responsible for color and it can break down the proteins in hair, essentially chopping them into smaller pieces that fall apart. It makes the hair brittle. Permed hair will relax. If the curl is natural, then no appreciable damage is evident. It can cause frizzy damaged hair. [ I once had my hair shed heavily after my swimming exercise ,so I moved on to get a more protective swim cap 'the blue one' and I disposed the old one which was the pink silicon speedo cap it wasn’t working for me. At the bottom of this page See pictures of the new and old swim cap].

If you swim a lot then you should treat it with good swimmers shampoo and conditioner [and not ordinary shampoo] also deep condition your hair after every swim session .

Chlorine damages the oil and mineral balance of skin cells, destroying the fluid balance, resulting in dried out, dead cells. This in turn leads to dry, peeling skin, which makes the surface of the skin appear shiny. Chlorine is harsh on your skin. It can dry it out easily. Make sure to apply moisturizer after being in a chlorine pool i hope this write up help. I decided to accompany this lengthy script with a couple of pictures to entertain my readers enjoy.

Below are some pictures I took during my swimming sessions