Swim Your Way to Fitness

If you’re looking for a refreshing, fun way to get and stay fit, hop into one of the Zenergy pools. With our indoor and outdoor year-round heated saltwater pools, it’s always a good time for a swim.

Swimming Is Great Exercise

Swimming is an excellent form of aerobic exercise that’s easy on the joints and full of splashy fun. Swimming is considered a whole-body form of exercise because it recruits all of the major muscle groups, including the shoulders, back, abdominal muscles, legs, hips, and gluteal muscles. It is an excellent form of cardiovascular exercise, but many consider it a form of strength exercise too because the water provides 12 times more resistance than air. In other words, each time you pull your arm through the water, you’re working 12 times harder than you would be out of the pool.

Swimming Is Easy on the Body

Swimming is easy on the joints because the water provides buoyancy—in fact, when you’re completely immersed in the water up to your neck, your body only bears 10 percent of its weight. This makes it a wonderful form of low-impact exercise for people with:

·      Injuries

·      Arthritis

·      Extra weight

·      Or, women who are pregnant

Swimming can help increase range of motion and relieve joint pain and swelling. Furthermore, swimming is an ideal form of exercise for people with exercise-induced asthma because it results in less irritation to the airways.

Building Fitness with Swimming

Swimming at a moderate pace for 30 minutes will burn about 250-350 calories, the equivalent of a one-hour brisk walk. Swimming is also great for toning because the water provides multi-directional resistance.

If you want to add swimming to your fitness regimen, it’s easy to get started. All you need is a comfortable swimsuit, a pair of goggles, and a swim cap—and some motivation.

Here are some pointers:

·      Ease into it: Swimming is surprisingly aerobic. Start with small goals and build from there.

·      Pay attention to technique: Technique matters in swimming. Making improvements in your form will make you a more efficient swimmer, which will enable you to swim farther and faster. If you’re looking for coaching, Zenergy offers private lessons, as well as ten masters swim classes per week.

·      Add variety: Perhaps the biggest complaint about swimming is the inevitable sense of boredom that comes with swimming lap after lap. Add variety to your routine by changing strokes; using kickboards, pull-buoys, fins, or hand paddles; or varying your workout plan.

·      Swim with a friend or group: Face it—any exercise is more fun with the motivation factor of a partner or group. If you need a group, Zenergy has you covered! Zen Masters is a complete Masters program for adult members. There are 10 workout sessions per week to choose from. Each workout is coached on deck and geared towards every level of swimming from beginner master to the most experienced racer. Whether your goal is stroke improvement or competition, there is a place for you in this program—and best of all, it’s included in your membership. Want to learn more? Contact Karen Morrison at (208) 720-6362.