Swimming -- A popular fitness sport

Swimming is popular as an all-around fitness routine and as a competitive sport. It also is one of the most popular recreational sports that can be enjoyed by all ages. It is an activity that burns lots of calories, is easy on the joints, supports your weight, builds muscular strength and endurance, improves cardiovascular fitness, cools you off and refreshes you in summer, and one that you can do safely into old age. It is non-load-bearing and does not involve antigravity work, resulting in fewer injuries. Swimming is the movement by humans or animals through water, usually without artificial assistance. Some breeds of dog swim recreationally. Although most cats hate water, adult cats are good swimmers. Tigers and some individual jaguars are the only big cats known to go into water readily, though other big cats, including lions, have been observed swimming. In contrast, many monkeys can naturally swim and some, like the proboscis monkey, crab-eating macaque. Almost all mammals can swim by instinct, including bats, kangaroos, moles and sloths. Elephants are also capable of swimming, even in deep waters. Many species of snakes are aquatic and live their entire lives in the water, but all terrestrial snakes are excellent swimmers. Horses, moose, and elk are very powerful swimmers, and can travel long distances in the water. Swimming is a sport that attracts participants of all ages although it is largely a young sport. Competitive swimming is a high-intensity training and performance sport. Swimming programs are helpful for both the mentally and the physically handicapped as they weigh less in water, and this makes it easier for them to move their muscles, enabling them to improve muscle tone and co-ordination of movement. It is also useful in rehabilitation of injured athletes. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis can improve their aerobic capacity by swimming in warm water. Asthmatics should be encouraged to swim, as swimming is the sport that is least likely to precipitate an asthmatic attack, and the fitter they are the fewer attacks they have; swimming improves their breathing. Many experts believe that swimming is the ideal all-round exercise. Swimming, especially the front crawl which requires steady, rhythmic movements, helps to develop aerobic fitness, suppleness, and muscular strength. If, however, you are swimming for fitness you will need to do three or four hard sessions a week. This does not strengthen bones, but it does make swimming safer than land-based activities for those whose bones are weakened by osteoporosis. It also makes swimming especially suitable for those who suffer from knee or back problems, or who are slightly overweight. Swimming calls more muscles into play with exact coordination than most other sports, and its high repetition of movement makes it extremely beneficial to the cardiovascular system. Swimming strokes should create the least possible water resistance; there should be a minimum of splashing so that forward motion is smooth and not jerky. In freestyle swimming any stroke may be used, but the crawl, considered the speediest, is almost always favored. It has never achieved sustained success as a professional sport. Diving into the shallow end of a pool or into a wave or sea where rocks are submerged may result in severe injuries. Hyperventilation before trying to swim a long distance under water should be forbidden, as it increases the risk of hypoxia (lack of oxygen), and may result in loss of consciousness and death by drowning. Competitive swimmers are particularly prone to overuse injuries so they supplement their swimming with land-based training especially weight training to rectify muscle imbalances and strengthen muscles. Although an excellent activity, swimming in cold water may not be a suitable part of a slimming program because it can stimulate the deposition of fats under the skin to act as an insulating layer. Swimming can easily be taken as an exercise to loss unwanted weight and keep an expected weight static. But to take it as a health benefit exercise it should be done under experienced guide. For recreation you just need to know how to swim.