SWIMMING AND MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS

​Practically everyone would agree that there is something therapeutic about being in or being around water. Even if you are a non-swimmer or have a phobia of water, just being calm and peaceful around water is relaxing for the majority of people. ​Getting out of the bustling towns and cities and walking along a beach can be hugely helpful for your mental wellbeing. We all know that feeling of swimming underwater and being in another world. It’s no wonder swimming can put you into an ideal mental space.
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This effect is equally shown around swimming pools. Swimming for relaxation, leisure or hard training has mental health benefits up and above many other sports. Increased self-esteem is a key psychological benefit of regular physical activity. 

And as a form of physical activity, swimming is hard to beat!
 
Scientific Research on the Mental Health Benefits from Swimming

1. Reduces Stress:  swimming stimulates the brain to release neurochemicals that make the body feel good and in turn reduces stress. Along with the added effect of water moving over the body, it can be very soothing during your swimming routine. Being in contact with the water can also loosen up the body and the mind. Research (although in its early stages) has recently shown that swimming can help generate new brain cells in certain parts of the brain where chronic stress has led to cell deterioration – it’s a process called hippocampal neurogenesis. 
2. Soothing Effect:  many Strictly Swimming London clients tell us how they find that they are able to switch off their mind when swimming and it becomes part of their daily meditation. The water moving over the body creates a massaging sensation which boosts this soothing effect when swimming in the pool or open water.  The rhythmic strokes and sound of the water makes swimming much more relaxing than other forms of exercise and it is also highly conducive to meditation. When you dive into the water, your mood is lifted immediately from the coolness of the water, leaving you free from tiredness and depression.
   
3. Releases Endorphins:   Endorphins which are known as the ‘happy hormones’ interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. They also trigger a positive feeling in your body. For example, the feeling that follows a run or workout is often described as "euphoric." That feeling, known as a "runner's high," can be accompanied by a positive and energizing outlook on life. The sport of swimming can equally bring about those feelings of euphoria but alongside the therapeutic nature of being in the water, swimming is often proven to beat other forms of physical activity in psychological testing.
4. Boosts Brain Activity: some studies have shown that being immersed in water boosts blood flow to the brain. Swimming as an exercise has been shown to produce the same relaxation response as yoga and the process of stretching and contracting your muscles during your swimming strokes can amplify this feeling. Aerobic swimming increases blood flow around the body and to the brain, which means it can help improve memory, mood, mental clarity and focus.
5. Lower anxiety and depression: Research has shown that exercise is an effective but often underused treatment for mild to moderate depression. Good social support is often important for those with depression and joining a group exercise class can be beneficial. Strictly Swimming London offer group courses which can help with this. Even swimming with a close friend or your partner is supportive. In doing so, you will benefit from the physical activity and emotional comfort, knowing that others are supportive of you. Stick with it. If you swim regularly or start taking lessons regularly, it will soon become part of your lifestyle and will help reduce your depression.
6. Social benefits: Swimming is very much a social sport. Swimmers of all ages and levels can take lessons together, train together, or even work with a Strictly Swimming London coach in the pool. Many studies reveal that exercising and socializing together leads to improved mental health.

 
If you want a challenge and boost your swim training, maybe its time to take advantage of our adult swimming lessons with one of our London coaches. Let our Strictly Swimming London coaches develop your swimming to such a level that you can literally ‘drown’ out all those unwanted thoughts and stresses of your London life. Many swimmers voice that a swimming workout seems to eliminate a bad mood much more efficiently than running, so the time has come to take the plunge once the Covid-19 pandemic slows down and life returns to normal.

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