We all know that regular exercise is an important part of staying healthy. However, many of the patients who visit our chiropractic clinic in Fareham are dealing with joint pain, mobility issues, or inflammation which limits their ability to exercise.
When these patients come to Homewood Chiropractic Clinic, we often recommend that they take up swimming. Swimming is a low-impact form of exercise which offers some incredible benefits, which our chiropractor will share in this post.
Swimming is excellent resistance training
Resistance training is a fantastic way to build strength, increase the size of skeletal muscle, and maintain bone density. It can also useful for improving your cardiovascular fitness levels. Swimming is a natural form of resistance training because you are forced to put more energy into your limbs to push them through the water.
Swimming is a low impact form of exercise
The buoyancy provided by water reduces the amount of stress placed on the body’s joints. This makes it a useful form of exercise for anyone who is suffering from leg or hip problems. There is also a lower risk of injury, as you cannot fall onto a hard surface as you might while cycling, running, or playing sport.
Works well in conjunction with chiropractic care
Our Fareham chiropractors can offer advice on the type of swimming which may help you tackle the health issues you are facing. They can also perform adjustments which support optimal nervous system function, which can improve your capacity to swim. This combination of chiropractic treatments and swimming can be beneficial.
Low intensity to high intensity
It is very simple to change the intensity of your swimming sessions. Aside from altering your swimming speed, you can change the position of your body and the swimming technique you are using to make it easier or harder. This is useful as you can start slowly, then gradually build your fitness, strength, and mobility over time as you continually make your sessions more strenuous.
Improve posture
Many of the patients visiting our chiropractic clinic can benefit from improving their posture and others are looking for ways to improve their posture. We use a combination of chiropractic treatments, lifestyle changes, and physical therapy to treat them.
Swimming is one of our key recommendations for anyone dealing with poor posture. It strengthens the shoulder, back, and core muscles, which can be effective in improving posture.
Improved muscle tone and strength
There is a reason why you will never see a weak-looking competitive swimmer. Swimming regularly can increase muscle tone and strength quite dramatically. This can have some excellent flow on effects as it improves the overall health of your musculoskeletal system.
Improves joint flexibility
Swimming involves extending the limbs and using a full range of movement. This can be useful for improving joint health and increasing flexibility. Our chiropractors will be able to advise you on which swimming techniques to use to target the joints which need improvement.
Beneficial for pregnant women
There are two main reasons why both obstetricians and chiropractors often recommend that pregnant women take up swimming. The first is that swimming strengthens the abdominal muscles, which are placed under additional pressure during pregnancy. Swimming also provides women with some relief from the additional weight they are carrying.
Less stress
Chronic stress is an extremely dangerous condition because it can increase the risk of conditions like insomnia, diabetes, heart disease, anxiety, and depression. Fortunately, activities like swimming have been proven to be effective at reducing stress.
The act of swimming is very enjoyable and relaxing, which counteracts feelings of stress. After you have completed a workout, the body will be flooded with endorphins which reduce stress levels even further.
Improve cardiovascular health
Swimming keeps your heart rate up while limiting stress on the joints, which makes it a wonderful option for improving your cardiovascular health. It also increases lung capacity, which is particularly useful for people who suffer from allergies or asthma.
Helps with weight loss
Joint dysfunction can be made worse if you are carrying excessive weight — particularly if you have issues with your knees, ankles, hips, or lower back. Fortunately, swimming has been shown to encourage weight loss. Swimming is particular effective because it is a whole body exercise that burns a lot of calories.
A great way to recover while injured
If you are a keen sportsperson, suffering from a sporting injury can be very frustrating as you are keen to maintain your fitness levels. Swimming is a fantastic option for when you have an injury. You can tailor the style and intensity of your swimming sessions to work around any current injuries you are dealing with. Swimming can make it easy to maintain your fitness until you can get back on the sporting field and can even speed up recovery.
Please remember that prior to undertaking any new form of exercise you should seek advice from a medical professional, especially if you are currently suffering pain or injury or have a current medical condition.
If you are suffering pain, our team of experienced chiropractors at Homewood Chiropractic Clinic are here to help you. To book an appointment, call us on 01329 280 283.
Our Experience Counts: 55 Years in Fareham
Serving the people of Fareham, and surrounding areas of Southampton, Portsmouth, Hampshire and the local areas of Whiteley, Hedge End, Locks Heath & Portchester
