There are numerous benefits to swimming but maybe some that don’t always spring to mind. Talking of the mind, this is one of those areas. Taking part in a physical activity is good for our bodies but these same activities, including swimming, are equally good for both physical and mental health.
How is swimming good for our minds?
Swimming releases the same endorphins (‘feel good hormones’) that help reduce negative feelings and improve your mood. At the same time cortisol levels are reduced (‘stress hormones’) which has been linked to depression and anxiety.
Recent studies have shown that by increasing your activity levels from nothing to three times a week can reduce depression by up to thirty percent. So, in essence, the more active you become the better you will feel inside and out.
Swimming and the outdoors
One of the added benefits of swimming over any other exercise is that it is low impact and only a moderately intense physical activity which is less stressful on the joints. Water in itself is a therapeutic medium and can be enjoyed in a pool, lido, river, lake or sea environment.
Swimming is as much an outdoor pursuit as well as an indoor one and the added benefits can be as good as some antidepressants in treating mild to moderate depression. These benefits include the sights, sounds and smells of nature which enhance our senses, thus improving our mood further.
Fancy going Wild swimming check out the Wild Swimming Community Website
