Good preparation counts
There’s no getting around it, running events swimming with Lifeguard Recertification are ‘in’. Everywhere in Flanders they are rising like mushrooms from the ground. Friends, family and acquaintances: everyone wants to participate! Not illogical too, who can deny that walking in such a crowd doesn’t give you a kick?
Good preparation for a running event is very important. Often a running partner with a similar goal is found to grind miles together. Others look for peace and quiet and listen to music while walking.
WHY NOT CHOOSE THE POOL AS AN ALTERNATIVE TRAINING LOCATION?
What about injuries? Jogging vs Swimming
Walking or jogging asks a lot of your body. Joints such as ankles, knees or hips always receive enormous pressure with every step you take. Swimming, on the other hand, requires a comparable physical effort, but with (much) less pressure on these joints. The water carries your body as it were and ensures that muscles and joints feel more flexible. Just think of rehabilitation therapies in the water. These are preferably recommended to increase freedom of movement and provide a good recovery. You can also choose this during your preparation after an intensive running training.
In addition, swimming is a complete sport for the whole body. The number of muscles that you engage during a swimming session is remarkably large. The trunk muscles are also activated, which can mean its added value in the prevention of lower back complaints. During a swim training you can switch in swimming styles so that you always address different muscle groups. A full body workout, as it were.
Are you someone who has difficulty finding proper breathing while walking?
Then swimming training can help. The heart and lung functions during swimming are indeed different than during walking. But that’s why it only has advantages!
Efforts in hypoxia (reduction of the amount of oxygen in the organs) or often also called anaerobic training, is a tough task if you include this in your running schedule. But in swimming styles performed on the stomach, this system is simulated. The result of these workouts is to create better endurance in the open air. And let that be exactly what every runner wants.
IT HAS BEEN PROVEN THAT PEOPLE WITH RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS DURING EXERCISE BENEFIT FROM RESISTANCE TRAINING IN THE WATER.
Swimming to solve respiratory problems
Practicing swimming creates resistance to the chest as it expands on exhalation. As a result, the inspiratory muscles have to work harder. As a result, the inhalation muscles are trained more. SANO Coach Jente Van Mulders experienced this during his youth. He was bored with a form of ‘exercise asthma’. At the age of twelve, he was forced to stop playing football because his lung function did not respond optimally during intensive outdoor activities. By switching to swimming at a frequency of three times a week, Jente was able to improve his lung function.
YOU FEEL COLD LESS OFTEN
By swimming in cold water or taking a cold shower, you stimulate the production of brown fat in your body.
The main function of brown fat is the production of heat. Newborn babies have a lot of brown fat, which ensures that the baby can keep the body at the right temperature. As we age, the amount of brown fat in our body decreases.
If you are very cold for a while, your body is stimulated to produce brown fat. That brown fat then produces the heat you need. This way your inner thermostat will work better again and you will notice that you will feel cold much less quickly, for example. And that’s good news, because it makes that cold shower or swimming in a cold lake easier and easier.
IT MAKES YOU LOSE WEIGHT
Several studies have shown that you lose weight if you stay in a cold room for a long time. This has to do with the brown fat.
The more brown fat you have, the more you burn and the more pounds you lose.
In addition, the improved blood circulation ensures a higher metabolism.
So if you want to lose weight, you can use cold water to speed up the slimming process. And of course you will also stay slimmer if you keep doing it.
5 fantastic benefits I thought. So what do you say? Are you also going to introduce the cold shower in your life?
