“Teach your children swimming, archery and horse riding” Said Prophet Muhammad (saw), narrated in a Hadith by Hazrat Ibn Umar (R.A).
Prophet (saw) encouraged sports for both men and women, which also included learning how to swim. Being able to swim not only brings health benefits but also prevents us from drowning during times of flood and water voyage.
Swimming is a healthy lifetime activity for everyone whether it’s a 1 year old or 101 years old. Swimming is a water based exercise which comes with many physical and psychological benefits for all.
Swimming is beneficial for one and all, especially for those who are not physically fit to exercise.
PHYSICAL BENEFITS OF SWIMMING
Swimming is a full-body exercise that utilizes, strengthens and tones major muscle groups within a person’s body. It improves the overall flexibility and strengthens the muscles. It’s a great cardio workout involving stretching and lengthening your body.
Strong heart and lungs
Swimming helps your body to learn a new breathing pattern improving the functioning of the heart and lungs. This physical activity strengthens the heart, helps to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels while lowering the risk of stroke and heart diseases.
This physical activity is essential for people with asthma conditions. Strong lungs improve oxygen transport to the cells and muscles throughout the body and helps in proper functioning of different body parts.
Exercising in water is safe
Swimming is a low impact exercise, unlike running or playing tennis which involves a lot of pounding and bouncing on hard surface, putting pressure on knees and joints. Exercising in water on the other hand provides resistance to the body and protects it from sudden jerks and movements. Swimming therefore is great for people with knee and joint problems specially for women who are more prone to osteoporosis, a disease more common in women that makes the bones brittle and weak. It is also great for people having all types of arthritis and lower back pain. Swimming can be a great way of keeping fit for people with these health problems without compromising their health.
Swimming can be a great way to continue to keep fit for those who are injured and cannot continue with their regular gym workouts or running. This form of low impact water exercise can keep them losing calories without compromising their health.
High Calorie burn exercise
Swimming is a great fat burning exercise. If done properly, can help you lose weight fast. And because water is nearly 800 times denser than air, it provides great resistance to body movements. So you burn more with each kick, push, and pull. Swimming burns lots of calories, depending on how efficiently you swim. Freestyle swimming at a light to moderate pace can burn from about 450 to 550 calories in an hour.
Along with burning calories fast you also gain lean muscles which keeps your metabolism high. That means you continue to burn calories even long after you are out of the pool and dried off.
Keeps Diabetes and Cholesterol levels in control
Swimming can become a very important part of those suffering from diabetes and high cholesterol levels. Swimming will help burn calories, lose weight and thus keep blood sugars under control. It will help lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol.
Keeps you stay younger
Research shows that regular swimming keeps a person 20 years younger than their actual age. Data presented at an American College of Sports Medicine Conference, revealed that a swimmer’s blood pressure, cholesterol levels, cardiovascular performance, central nervous system, and cognitive functioning can all be compared to those much younger than them.
Cross Train benefits
Swimming is a great cross train exercise which must be incorporated with other gym and running schedules. It helps in relaxing the overworked and tired joints, knees and ankles after the strenuous workouts at gym or at outdoors. It’s a much needed total recovery workout for all.
PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF SWIMMING
With hectic work and family schedules, one needs to unwind and relax. Swimming helps to cope with life’s stresses by increasing feelings of self-worth. It acts as a distraction from our worries.
Women are twice more likely than men to suffer from depression and related symptoms such as anxiety and loss of sleep. Swimming releases chemicals which removes depression and brings a calming effect making you feel relaxed. Swimming activities must be encouraged for all women.
SWIMMING IS ESSENTIAL FOR CHILDREN
Apart from the numerous physical and psychological benefits, the most important reason for your child to learn swimming is that it’s the only sport which can save your child’s life. Drowning is still one of the most common causes of accidental death in children, so being able to swim is an essential life-saving skill.
There will be various situations in your child’s life when they will come in contact with water. And unless they learn how to swim they will always be at risk of drowning. Just to name a few, boat trips, beach or resort holidays, pool parties, water sports, snorkelling, Scuba diving, all of these experiences require the ability to swim, and as your child gets older they will find themselves excluded from these activities if they are not able to swim.
Fun and enjoyment
Children enjoy water. When we visit a swimming pool or beaches, all we can hear is squealing and screaming of children with delight as they explore and enjoy the water activities. Children can be taken to pools as young as three months old. They have been in water in their mother’s womb and teaching them to swim at a very early age will be quite easy.
Swimming and other water activities are something the entire family can share. It can be a great family bonding sport. This fun physical activity must be enjoyed with the whole family which will help in combating obesity in children and adults both.
Better Mental health
Swimming improves a child’s mental and emotional health. It boosts confidence, improves overall mood and help combat depression. Not to mention it provides a good night’s sleep.
Babies that take part in baby swimming programmes are often thought to be happier and healthier. Research shows that early swimmers perform better on tests measuring social, academic, motor and personality developments.
Social benefits
Getting your children enrolled in swimming lessons gives them the opportunity to improve their social skills. They learn to act in an appropriate manner with people around them, they learn to respect other people’s space. It also teaches them that everybody has different learning ability, giving them the confidence in whatever they can do.
It’s a break from the summer heat
No other activity can be as fun as swimming during the summers to beat the heat, whether it’s at the beach or in the pool. It’s relaxing, fun and a great workout.
Babies with special needs
Water offers a heightened multi-sensory stimulation involving touch, hearing, sight, taste and smell. The intense physical contact and eye contact with parents also offer quality stimulation. This can be especially valuable for premature or special needs babies.
SWIMMING FOR OLDER ADULTS
Swimming is a perfect way to stay active for the elderly as it is easier on the joints and muscles than any other form of exercise done on any hard surface. As people get older, they are more prone to physical problems such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis and activities such as jogging or playing any other sport can have an adverse effect on their health.
Falling down and getting hurt is also a common problem in older adults which lead to broken bones and head injuries. The most common form of exercise the elderly engage in is walking but walking doesn’t reduce the risk of falling. Water borne exercises decreases this disability, helps in maintaining bone health particularly in older women. Swimming develops strong and stable core muscles which are necessary for good balance. This way swimming improves posture and muscle coordination and reduces the risk of falling in older adults.
Older people must engage in group water aerobic classes organised by local health clubs. This will give them the opportunity to meet other people of their age groups and same interests. This will also remove their feelings of isolation and loneliness, leading to better mental health.
Swimming should not be an age barrier for older adults. In fact it must encouraged more at this age. It’s our duty to help our elders participate in such activities so that they can gain both physical and emotional benefits. Proper swim wears are available which will remove their inhibitions and help them enjoy and reap the benefits of such healthy form of activities.
Swimming is one those exercises to help maintain physical fitness which needs no equipment except for a pair good quality swim suit. While goggles and swimming caps are optional. This sport must be undertaken on a regular basis by one and all. It’s a great way to enjoy the health benefits as an individual or with friends and family. Age or gender must not be allowed to become an excuse.
Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, “Be wary of bath houses. Those who enter such places should cover themselves.”
This hadith shows that entering bath houses is permissible under the condition that the one who does so covers herself.
In order to preserve their modesty, Muslim women can engage in swimming activities in health centres which cater to only women or at only women’s session. Even if it is only women session, it is advisable that women are properly covered. For that they must wear full body cover swimsuits readily available in stores.
Tips for buying a modest swimsuit
You must look for the following features in an Islamic swim suit:
Full coverage with head cover
Optional sports performance bra
Tie up to prevent from riding up
Durable longer lasting fabric
Light weight
Maximum comfort
Chlorine resistant
4 way stretching
Quick drying
References :
Women’sHealthMag.com
webmd.com
Ref : http://woman.thenest.com
http://kidcompanions.com/
http://www.livestrong.com/
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