Why
Swimming is the Perfect Exercise for Seniors
by
Carlo Morelli
There
are a many reasons why swimming and water-based
exercise may be the best choice for seniors. Water
based exercises are second only to walking in lowest
rates for injuries. They are commonly used for physical
therapy modes for those recovering from major surgery.
Water also provides more options for those who are
lacking in general fitness or have a prior injury
that makes land based activity difficult. Finally,
water based activities work the entire body, serving
as a form of both strength training even as aerobic
training takes place.
Swimming utilizes nearly all major muscle groups
simultaneously, imparting a total body work out.
Because of the inherent resistance of the water,
swimming develops both muscle strength and endurance,
as well as helps flexibility.
Because
of its horde of positive effects, swimming provides
almost all of the aerobic benefits of running even
as it yields many of the benefits of resistance
training thrown in. Because swimming does not put
the strain on connective tissues that running, aerobics
and some weight-training regimens do, swimming is
the kind of low-impact work out that is perfect
for seniors seeking to regain or maintain their
fitness.
This
is a sport especially gentle to those who are physically
challenged. The buoyancy factor of water makes swimming
the most injury-free exercise available. So it is
specifically interesting to seniors, especially
those with any type of joint issues. In water, a
person’s body weight is reduced by 90% as
compared to its weight on land. For example, a 220
pound man will weigh about 22 pounds if he is standing
in chin deep water.
Exercises
in water can also be done more often because of
the low incidence of injuries and it is more effective
for exercising the entire body as any movement in
water 12 times greater resistance than movement
in air. For the elderly, water fitness is safe
Carlo Morelli may be contacted at psioni@gmail.com.
Carlo Morelli is a contributor to OnlineTips.Org
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