Swimming is so healthy for you: 'Your whole body is in motion'

After fitness, running, football and tennis, swimming with Lifeguard Course  is the most practiced sport in the Netherlands. It is especially popular among women. 6.4 percent of them regularly take a dip, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). That percentage is lower among men: 3.4 percent.

Closed off from the outside world for a while

“It is so relaxing in the water.” Els van den Eede, Sports Doctor at the St Maartenskliniek in Nijmegen, is full of enthusiasm when she talks about the sport. As an avid triathlete, she knows the benefits of swimming like no other. “Swimming is really my favorite part. You are cut off from the outside world for a while, only with your thoughts.” She continues with a laugh: “That may sound a bit vague, but you won't be distracted in the water. 

For example, you never have to take traffic into account.”

Van den Eede regularly decides to stop by the swimming pool after a working day. “The 'real' swimmers always go into the water in the morning before work. Great to start the day like this, but for me it is not compatible with the family. It is also very nice to go swimming after work. All the stress of the day slips away on the first dive. Delicious. When I come home, I don't flop down on the couch, but I am full of energy.”

Load little, burn a lot

According to Van den Eede, swimming also has many benefits for people who are overweight. Compared to running or cycling, your body has to absorb fewer blows. “When running, your foot absorbs a multiple of your body weight with every step. If you are overweight, that can cause problems," explains the sports doctor. “Swimming is much less taxing. You are ten times lighter in the water.” with Lifeguard Class USA.

Although it does not feel heavy, you can burn a lot of calories with swimming. “You use your whole body,” says Van den Eede. “That moves a lot differently than when you cycle a lot, for example. Just look at those riders in the Tour de France. Then you see really strong legs and a very thin upper body.”

“For half an hour of swimming at a normal pace you burn about 400 kilocalories. That corresponds to half an hour of running, but not everyone can last that long. Swimming is therefore an easy way to build up fitness.”

Less restricted in the water

Swimming is also an ideal sport for people with disabilities. “That also has to do with the fact that you weigh much less in the water,” explains Van den Eede. “It also has mental benefits. In the water you are less limited compared to others. 

Often these people are therefore not inferior to other swimmers. At the end of the summer, take a look at a swimming competition during the Paralympic Games. Once in the water, it is hardly noticeable that those swimmers are Paralympic athletes.”

In the open air

You can choose to finish your laps in the pool, but there are also plenty of places to swim in the open air. The temperature of the open water is often a bit colder than that of the swimming pool. “Around this time it does start to warm up a bit, but in general it is a lot colder outside than inside, says Van den Eede. That can have positive effects, because you burn more calories in cold water, but it can also be dangerous. You have to be careful not to get hypothermic, especially in the winter.”