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Swimming for Your Health

Senior woman swimming in a pool.

Summer may be winding down, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite aquatic activities. At Monroe Village, our indoor, heated pool is available for year-round use. Along with being fun, swimming is a great exercise with numerous health benefits; keep reading to learn more about these health benefits and a few simple pool exercises for you to try out the next time you dive in.

Benefits of Swimming for Exercise

  • Improves Heart Health: Aerobic exercise makes your heart beat faster than usual, thus improving your heart function and blood flow and decreasing your risk of developing heart disease.
  • Builds Endurance and Muscle Strength: Swimming is a full-body workout that increases muscle strength and tone. Plus, the resistance of the water intensifies the impact and effectiveness of the workout.
  • Doesn’t Hurt Your Joints: As a low-impact exercise, swimming doesn’t stress your back, hips and knees. Yet, as a full-body workout, nearly all of your muscles are impacted.
  • Helps Maintain a Healthy Weight: Swimming is one of the most effective ways to stay in shape and burn calories. A gentle swim can burn about 200 calories in only a half hour.
  • Boosts Breathing Function: Most people breath in shallow and exhale forcefully when exercising. Swimming encourages you to breath in deeply and quickly, which improves the strength of your respiratory muscles.
  • Opens Socialization Opportunities: Swimming is just more enjoyable with friends. Whether it be through a structured class or having a partner to workout with, you’re able to become closer to neighbors simply by taking a dip in the pool.

Three Swimming Workouts for Seniors

  1. Leg Swings: Leg swings work all the muscles in the legs, improve balance and strengthen your core. For this exercise, stand in the pool and lift one leg forward and back down, then backward and back down, alternating legs.
  2. Arm Circles: Arm Circles are a great way to work your upper body. Find an area around the edge of the pool where the water reaches your neck. Lift your arms out to the side, keeping your arms straight and your palms down, and move your arms in a circular motion one way for 10-15 seconds. Rest, and then move your arms in the opposite direction.
  3. Pool Jogging: Incorporating jogging in your pool time is a perfect low-impact aerobic exercise to get your heart rate up and keep it pumping. This can be as simple as jogging through the water from one side of the pool to the other.

Experience Year-Round Swimming Opportunities at Monroe Village

Swimming is undoubtedly one of the best exercises for older adults, and at Monroe Village, you have the convenience of an onsite, heated, indoor swimming pool to enhance your physical health. Our residents love engaging in pool classes every Tuesday and Thursday morning, or just taking a dip and swimming laps, all without ever stepping foot off our campus. Contact us today to learn more and schedule your personal tour.

Need information? Check our resources.

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