The benefits of swimming will make you want to jump into the water right away

People that take up swimming often make a long-term habit out of it – and they’re doing it for good reason: it can be the ultimate wellness boost.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen the rise of wild water swimming over on people’s Instagram accounts (though we quietly ducked out of that one, thinking of the mud), and public pools and outdoor Lidos across the country have become the place to be every sunshine-filled weekend. 

Now we’re entering summer, swimming is one of the more cooling ways to exercise and get a rush of endorphins (the happy hormone). Plus, the sport comes stacked with benefits, for both the body and mind.

Avid swimmer Suzie tells us that on average she swims 1.5km every day before work at her local pool. She does it for cardio exercise, but also for “the best mood boost.”

“It really helps to deal with my anxiety which is particularly high ahead of the working day. It’s a gentle way to move your body with very little impact and allows me to clear my mind, giving me a great mindset to start the day. If I’m ever grumpy, my flatmate now actually asks if I’ve been for a swim that day so it’s clearly visibly working for others to see too,” she says.

On her average swim, which is 60 lengths, she burns roughly 260-300 calories, so it accounts for lots of her exercise routine.

Why can swimming be good for us?

Dr Deborah Lee of Dr Fox Online Pharmacy tells GLAMOUR that in many ways and for many people, swimming is “a perfect means of exercise.”

“As we age, the tendency to a sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, leads to a gradual increase in weight. These factors increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and dementia. Ageing is linked to loss of muscle, and many people in middle-age have sarcopenia – a relative loss of muscle strength,” she explains.