What are the primary health benefits of swimming?
Swimming exercise uses more of the overall muscle mass of the body than almost any other form of exercise. So you get an upper- and lower- body workout, unlike running, biking, many other activities (even tennis), where you primarily work the legs. For most adults, the upper body is the weakest part of the body. Swimming is also an aerobic form of exercise. We know that swimming exercise has an effect on insulin sensitivity, which leads to a lower risk of diabetes. It also improves other health concerns, such as blood pressure, and it’s good for flexibility. Swimming is probably one of the best all-around exercises that can be done. The only thing it’s not good for is building and protecting bone mass. So swimming wouldn’t be a good choice for reducing risk of osteoporosis? There’s just not enough resistance placed on the body by the water. For example, if you’re running, you’re going to be coming down on each leg with two to three times your body weight, so your spine has to develop t
