5 Amazing Health Benefits of Swimming

If you're looking to learn a new sport, you should consider swimming. It's one of the oldest and most popular sports in the United States. Each year, millions of men, women and children hit the pool -- or another body of water -- to swim. And while swimming is undoubtedly fun, it's also good for your health. Here are five amazing health benefits of swimming that you can't ignore.

#1) Lowers Heart Disease Risk

Because it's a form of aerobic exercise, swimming naturally lowers your risk of heart disease. It forces your heat to beat faster, thereby conditioning it while protecting it from disease in the process. Numerous studies have shown that people who swim on a regular basis -- several times a week -- have lower rates of heart disease than their counterparts who rarely or ever swim.

#2) Fights Stress

Swimming also has a positive impact on your stress levels. Researchers attribute to the stress-fighting effects of swimming to the sport's ability to regulate hormone levels in the body. When you swim, your body produces less cortisol, the stress hormone, and more endorphins and oxytocin. The culmination of these effects is lower stress levels and a generally more relaxed mood.

#3) Improves Lung Health

You'll develop stronger, healthier lungs when swimming on a regular basis. Swimming, like other aerobic exercises, engages your lungs, forcing them to work faster. Over time, this conditioning encourages stronger lungs, thereby improving your ability to breathe during strenuous cardio workouts.

#4) Weight Management

Of course, swimming also helps to manage your body weight. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 40% of all adults, globally, are overweight, while 13% are classified as obese. In addition to eating the right foods, exercising can help individuals maintain a healthy weight. Swimming is one of the best exercises for weight management because of its high-powered calorie-burning benefits.

#5) Good for Your Joints

A health benefit of swimming that's often overlooked, especially by newcomers, is its ability to promote joint health. Lifting weights is one of the best ways to build bigger muscles, but it places significant stress on your joints. Over time, you may discover pain and inflammation originating from your knuckles, knees, shoulders, wrists and other joints. Thankfully, this isn't a problem with swimming. Because it's performed in the water, swimming places very minimal pressure on your joints, allowing you to exercise without the risk of join pain or discomfort.