Open water swimming is good for the mind.
Swimming is good for our general mental well-being and self-confidence, according to a large-scale UK study by Swim England, a major governing body for all things swimming with Lifeguard course.
- they are happier in life
- they have less anxiety
- they feel more independent and successful
they do volunteer work more often: swimming appears to have a binding effect
Children, too, are said to develop more self-confidence and be happier when they go swimming, according to specific figures for 10- to 15-year-olds. Women and girls benefit the most: swimming is said to double their self-confidence.
“The happiness effect in open water is twice as great”
Swimming in open water has the same benefits of swimming, but takes it a step further because it takes place in a natural setting. Swim England say swimmers feel 4.3 percent happier on average than people who never swim, but specifically for open water swimmers, that figure rose to 8.9 percent more. The happiness effect is on average more than twice as large with lifeguard course.
When you swim in open water, you return to nature.
An Australian study also pointed to the social benefits of swimming, specifically for older people: swimming more in open water can help them stay healthier, both mentally and physically.
A study at the University of Tennessee in America, on the other hand, was about young children. Swimming and playing in an environment with water improves motor skills and social contacts.
Watch out for too cold water
Swimming in open water, in a lake or in the sea, naturally often happens in water that is a lot colder than in the swimming pool. If it feels too cold, we fit. But those fresher conditions can give energy.
It is better not to swim in water that is too cold, because that entails risks.
The temperature of the seawater in Ostend was less than 10 degrees Celsius a few days ago.
“Generally speaking, this water temperature is unacceptable for swimming. But hardy people can afford to stay in such water for 5-10 minutes,” reads the global sea temperature website.
Swimming in open water is good for the body.
Sport is healthy, that goes without saying.
Besides being a low-impact sport, the propelling force of the water causes your blood pressure to drop by 10 to 15 percent. The heart rate drops, and the horizontal position has the advantage that the heart has to pump less hard to push blood through our body, so it is excellent for our blood circulation. Ideal for people with high blood pressure.
“A complete workout and good for blood pressure”
At the same time, it is a full-body workout. You train different muscle groups in your body, from head to toe. Moreover, it is also good to train our breathing, as in any sport by the way with Lifeguard Course.
Incidentally, a session of swimming will have burned you more kilocalories than your average heart rate suggests, precisely because that heart rate is relatively lower compared to the effort than with other sports. At the same time, people who exercise or exercise with a low heart rate will burn relatively more fats.
Specifically for open water we will burn some extra energy because the water temperature is lower than in a swimming pool, and because the environment is more challenging (wind, currents…).
The temperature change when swimming in fresher water is not bad for our body, experts say, and we can improve our resistance with it. In addition, the outside air is healthier than the air in a pool environment with chlorine fumes.
Due to the mental and physical benefits, swimmers would also live longer on average.
Swimming in open water can do you for the rest of your life.
Swimming is the ultimate low-impact sport. There is no extra pressure on tendons and joints as with walking or even jogging, for example, and it is a gentle sport for the muscles. That is why you can also practice swimming until a very late age.
“There is no other sport that you can practice your entire life cycle. “We can start as a baby or toddler and the properties of water allow us to continue swimming until late in life, even with numerous physical limitation with Lifeguard course.
