Swimming, an ally for physical and mental well-being

Swimming presents very few counter-indications and address to almost everybody: old people, pregnant women, people in over-weight, people suffering from articular pains… This universality is in major part due to weightlessness effect, in water, body is relieved from 80% of its weight!

Swimming is good for muscles and articulations. The whole muscles are worked (back, shoulders, arms, abdominal, thighs and legs) and articulations conserve their energy. Swimming improves muscular tonus, relieving like that osseous skeleton, and develops articulations mobility, so reducing arthrosis risks.

Swimming is good for cardio-vascular and respiratory systems. Practiced regularly, swimming raises the power and efficiency of heart ; this last is then muscled in softness. Prolonged effort that is necessary to swimming improves considerably bloody circulation, moreover, the pressure that exercises water on body owns a strong draining power: a happiness and a total relief when we have heavy legs! At respiratory system level, swimming improves blow and favours gaseous exchanges.

Swimming is good to be slim! In fact, swimming sculpts body and reinforces lines. Being an endurance activity, it attacks directly to fats. The effort, retorted on the whole muscles, permits the development of a well-proportioned figure. Swimming demands a long effort, ideal for hunting of ugly calories… And as human body is a machine remarkably intelligent, muscles have power to burn calories, even relaxed! However, it has to work to benefit from its advantage... because only train muscles do the war to calories as they are inactive. Nature is so well done!

Swimming constitutes a veritable natural anti-stress. It permits to make a break, to relax and to change minds – three fundamental needs for each one of us! Besides providing a sure pleasure thanks to endorphins secreted in the course of effort, swimming favours a quality sleep, reduces anxiety and stress and improves self-esteem. So psychological balance is profoundly improved.

Water permits feeling weaker physically, but also mentally ; it relaxes muscles and releases tensions. Moreover, aquatic middle reminds sensations experimented in the belly of our dear mummy, when we were only at the state of foetus. The repeated aspect and disproved of stress which characterizes swimming dive us in a serenity and relax state which is particularly welcome in this 21st century, which is, we say it, far away from any rest.

Try to diversify the types of swimming that you practice in order to not bore and to progress.
As you alternate different strokes, you will work all muscular groups and you will have a better respiration control. When you swim, try, as well as possible to inspire outside water- the contrary seems, anyway, difficultly realisable! And to expire under water. As you use accessories (palms, gangplank, etc...) and as we make longer gradually duration and intensity of your swimming session , you will progress more rapidly.

To finish, here it is a rapid horizon tour on hygiene measures to adopt in public swimming-pools: take a shower before and after your session; walk with sandals as soon as you quit your shoes or you go out from the swimming-pool ; wear a swimming cap and glasses - of swimming, preferentially! - at last, avoid to let lie around your towel anywhere… Everything is said, then let’s have your bath suits !