Swimming Laps for Health: Swimming for Seniors

With summer comes a heat that only seems to be quenched by a languorous dip in a pool. While you’re enjoying the refreshing water, you can also experience the benefits of swimming. The Moorings at Lewes has found a few pool exercises for seniors that you can also benefit from.

4 Benefits of Swimming for Seniors

1. Better heart health.
   Aerobic exercises such as swimming laps force your heart to beat faster, thereby improving its function. This improvement of heart and blood flood helps to decrease your risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.
2. Improved breathing.
   With most exercises, you tend to breathe in shallow gasps of air and exhale more forcefully. With swimming, it’s the complete opposite. Research from Indiana University notes that when you swim, you inhale deeply and quickly while you exhale slowly. This method of breathing helps to improve the strength of respiratory muscles.
3. Positively affects mental health.
   The act of swimming provides a relaxed state of being, offering an almost meditative state. You can let your thoughts drift away as you focus on your breathing technique. This relaxation results stress relief, offering aid to your mental health.
4. Low-impact exercise.
   Because your body is buoyant in water, it does not experience the same stress on your back, knees and hips as normal exercise. It does, however, still offer a full-body workout to improve muscle tone and strength.

3 Pool Exercises for Seniors

1. Jogging.
   Just like jogging on pavement can increase your heart rate, so can jogging in the water. The difference, though, is that jogging as a swimming exercise provides less impact on your joints. Try jogging from one end of the pool to the other and back.
2. Leg lifts.
   Swimming exercises such as leg lifts work all your leg muscles as well as strengthens your core. Plus, the water resistance increases the effect. To receive these benefits of swimming, stand in the pool and lift one leg out to the side and back down. You can also send your leg straight out in front of you and back down. If you need help with balance, hold onto the pool wall.
3. Standing push-ups.
   Standing push-ups help with arm, chest and shoulder strength. Like the other pool exercises for seniors, these provide results without placing pressure on joints. Stand arms-length from the side of the pool with your hands on the edge, shoulder-width apart. Then bend your arms as you lean forward and push back out. Keep your body as straight as possible for the best results.

Find the Benefits of Swimming for Seniors at The Moorings at Lewes

The Moorings at Lewes understands the importance of exercise for seniors, which is why we provide opportunities for residents with different ways to stay in shape. Our indoor, year-round, heated pool offers a way for residents to participate in refreshing, low-impact workouts through a free-swim or aerobics class. They can also use our fully equipped fitness center or enjoy an invigorating walk or jog on the trails of our 35-acre campus.

Contact our team today to learn more about The Moorings at Lewes’ health amenities.