Top 10 Reasons to Learn to Swim

Swimming is a life-long activity that the very young and the very old can enjoy. It builds confidence and is an excellent form of low-impact exercise. Below, our Downtown Y aquatics director Jeanne Moss gives us her “David Letterman” Top 10 List of reasons to learn to swim.

1.  Swimming is a low impact sport that anyone with any disability can do.  Swimming offers a variety of workouts from swimming lengths, taking a water fitness class, playing water basketball or volleyball etc.

2. Swimming increase flexibility. Cross training for your body.  Adding a swimming workout to your workout routine will allow you to do better in your other work outs.

3. Swimming is a lifetime sport that is easy on your joints and burns about 500 calories per hour. It is a total body workout that improves Coordination and Posture. Swimming is considered to be the ultimate aerobic activity. Swimming builds whole body strength.

4. Helps with chronic Diseases, Post surgery recovery and can help you to continue your physical Therapy after you have completed your appointments with the PT. Swimming can help decrease pain from osteoarthritis.  Some doctors recommend to their patients that they get into the water after joint replacement

5. Family oriented. The entire family can be in the pool together for fun and fitness.  What is more fun that spending a hot day in the water with your family at the beach or a pool.  It also a great way for the family to get out and get active doing the winter months.

6. Swimming is a survival skill. If you find yourself in water by accident and you know how to swim you will be able to help yourself.

7. Swimming engages your Mind. Swimming can help clear your mind or develop innovative ideas.

8. Swimming help children do better in school. Swim lessons translate almost seamlessly into the type of learning children do in school.

9. Learning to swim helps prevents drowning by teaching people to be safe around the water and how to swim back to safety or stay afloat until help comes. Swimming lessons also teaches children the importance of asking a parent or a grown up before going near any water.  Also it teaches  parents that they  need to pay attention to their children when they are in and around water.

10. It is fun and it is a lifetime skill. You never forget how to swim.  It is refreshing.  You can enjoy a day at the beach or water park.