Benefits of Swimming for Elderly Adults

The season for swimming and water activity has arrived. It may have been a while since you’ve enjoyed a dip in the pool, but now is the time to enjoy the many benefits of swimming for seniors. Senior swimming programs are available in most towns and communities. These programs are a very popular way to enjoy the health benefits of swimming and are especially designed for elderly people who can’t participate in other forms of exercise. Here are some things to look forward to if you decide to take advantage of a program that provides swimming for seniors.

• Swimming pool exercises for seniors are low impact and easy on bones and joints. Most senior swimming programs are not only beneficial to your health, but they are also a great way to have fun and meet other people.
• If you’re a little reluctant to don a swimsuit and parade around a swimming pool, don’t be! Senior swimming programs are filled with people just like you. They are there to exercise and enjoy themselves in the water. So just go for it! You may even want to break out that cute floral swimming cap and be a elderly swimming trend setter.
• The paybacks of participating in swimming workouts for seniors will make you feel like a million bucks. Especially as you begin to experience the many positive health advantages that swimming can accomplish.
• Swimming is great for your heart. Aerobic exercise builds endurance and strength and can help you lower blood pressure and maintain a healthy weight. Swimming pool exercises for seniors provide all the benefits of an aerobic workout, without the high impact on fragile knees and joints.
• If you have been feeling stressed out or a little depressed, swimming is a great way to help you relax and alleviate tension. The weightless feeling you get when floating in a body of water or in a crystal-clear swimming pool helps to relieve stiffness and tightness in the muscles.
• Speaking of stiffness, are you having a hard time reaching over your head, or bending down to pull a weed out of your garden? Swimming and water aerobics can help with that. The gentle, low impact workout in the water will help with flexibility and enhance body movement. The resistance that the water provides gives you the same type of exercise benefits that weight training provides in a gym, without the danger of over-doing it.
• Swimming increases your lung capacity. As you build your strength and endurance through swimming and water exercise, you will find that you are not as likely to feel winded or out of breath when you exercise or even walk. Increased lung capacity and body strength makes you feel stronger and more confident in everything you do.

So, if you haven’t thought about enrolling in a senior swimming program this summer, why not dive into one now? Getting started is the hardest part. Once you see how much fun you can have, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.