Staying active in your senior years is critical to maintaining your health for the long term. For some seniors, issues with mobility can make some types of exercise more difficult. Fortunately, activities like swimming can fill the void.
Whether you’re living in your home or enjoying independent living in Bradenton, FL, adding swimming to your weekly routine can go a long way toward maintaining and improving your health.
Read on to learn more about the benefits of swimming in your senior years.
Improves Heart Health
Swimming is a cardiovascular activity by nature. Even if you’re simply walking slow laps around the pool, your heart rate will increase. Working out your heart regularly improves your endurance and cardiovascular health, which can go a long way in keeping ailments at bay.
Seniors are at an increased risk of heart-related diseases, so prioritizing heart health is critical.
Increases Muscle Strength
There’s no way around it: Muscle tone and strength decrease with age. Over time, activities like lifting weights or doing functional strength training can be hard on the joints.
Swimming is a great activity to improve strength. You’re still working against the resistance of the water, but you don’t experience the same wear and tear on your body. Improved muscle strength can help you stay agile and avoid accidents like falls.
Low Impact
As you grow older, it can be difficult to find methods of exercise that match your ability level. While there are many exercise options for people with limited mobility, few offer the low-impact workout that swimming does.
Virtually no other form of exercise offers the support and gentleness of the water. Your body is totally supported while you’re still getting exercise making your way through the water.
Your buoyancy makes it easy to experiment with different types of exercise and find what’s comfortable yet challenging for you. There’s a reason why water exercise has been used in physical therapy for centuries.
Increases Flexibility
Maintaining flexibility in your later years is important for stability and avoiding accidents. Without exercise, your joints and ligaments can become stiff and start to impact your mobility. Flexibility can help you stay active and retain your overall mobility longer.
Swimming lets you stretch and move your body in ways you may not be able to outside of the water, and it can greatly improve your flexibility over time. Swimming just one or two times a week can make a big difference that you’ll notice during day-to-day activities.
Improves Mental Health
It’s well understood that mental and physical health are closely linked. Swimming is an easy and fun form of exercise that releases endorphins, improves your mood, and contributes to general mental wellness.
During retirement, it can be easy to fall into habits that don’t include exercise, but if you make swimming a habit, it can go a long way in helping you reach your health goals.
Swimming also offers the chance to socialize. Consider enrolling in a senior swim class, or encouraging friends to join you in the pool once a week.
Swim in Independent Living in Bradenton, FL
Florida is a wonderful place to spend your senior years. Between the weather, friendly neighbors, and vibrant retirement communities, you’ll find everything you’re looking for. Independent living in Bradenton, FL, offers seniors the flexibility to live their way and make the most out of their hard-earned retirement.
Independent living makes it easy to include swimming in your daily routine. From heated outdoor pools to transportation options for offsite water activities, you can easily make swimming part of your lifestyle. Before making any changes to your exercise routine, remember to consult with your primary care physician.
