Why Swimming is the Best Sport

Getting in is the hardest part, but when you start gliding through the water, it is a surreal experience. There's nothing to hear except the water sliding past your head, down to your neck, over your shoulders, down your waist, and over your legs. You are one with the water. Not breathing all the time is kind of a bummer, but it builds up your heart rate and keeps you active.

You need to learn how to swim first from someone who knows what they're doing, because if you keep doing it wrong, you're going to do some damage, just like any other physical exercise. If you do freestyle or front crawl incorrectly, you might end up hurting your shoulder. I have a friend who was doing freestyle incorrectly for five years and hurt his shoulder so badly he had to stop swimming for a year. So, if you don't know how to swim or have the proper form, then go get some swim lessons of some kind to get the form down.

It is a good way to heal your joints. If you have bad joints, like me, this is the best sport for you. Even though you may think water aerobics is for old people, you are wrong. It is a hard workout, but it uses all your joints and will help with joint therapy if that's what you are looking for.

It is also great exercise and you can have a fantastic body for that summer bikini or speedo. Have you seen Olympic swimmers? Their bods are freakin' fantastic. Their triceps are tight and so are their abs. If you keep swimming every day and making it a habit, it will stick and you won't want to do any other exercise.

You are also going to be eating a ton. If you swim a few 1,000 yards a day, then you should be eating almost five meals a day. Make sure they are healthy, however, because if you are just eating crap, your body isn't going to turn into Michael Phelps anytime soon. And drink a lot of water. Even though you are swimming and are in water, you are still getting dehydrated and can pass out after a big swim.

Make sure when you first start out that you are taking your time and not over-exerting yourself. If you go in swimming for the first time, maybe ever, or after a few years, maybe only do like a 500 to 800 yard workout and build up to maybe 1,000 to 2,000 yards. Swimming will tire you out very quickly. Make sure you are not going out your comfort zone at first. If you want to swim butterfly but you have no idea how, wait until you have had proper instruction to understand what you are actually doing.

Once you have immersed yourself in swimming and are ready for real workouts, join a swim group. They are everywhere. You just need to find them. Or go online and find a suitable workout for your abilities. Depending on the kind of pool you are swimming at, ask the lifeguard(s) or staff if they have pre-made workouts set for people who want to get more out of their swim. Pre-made workouts usually are better for you because they test you, whereas if you were to swim by yourself just doing a certain stroke, you wouldn't really be doing much for yourself.

Overall, when you are swimming, make sure you know what you are doing (stroke-wise), drink plenty of water, eat a lot of healthy food, and get ready for a body you've never had.