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4 Reasons Swimmers Have Great Heart Health

Last updated: Monday, August 22, 2016 | 4 min reading time

Did you know that swimmers often have great heart health?

Swimming is a great aerobic exercise that can guard against heart disease. It's no surprise, then, that many Olympic swimmers and medalists tend to have great heart health.

Here are 4 ways swimming can improve your cardiovascular fitness!

Lowers heart rates

The average human has a resting heart rate of approximately 60 – 70 beats per minute. Most athletes, however, have a resting heart rate as low as 40 – 60 beats per minute.

The heart is a muscle, and, like every other muscle in the body, you can train and strengthen it. This means that your heart pumps more blood with each beat, making it more efficient at supplying blood to the body. The health benefit of a lower resting heart rate is that you are at less risk of heart disease.

Lowers blood pressure

Did you know that swimming can help reduce blood pressure as effectively as blood pressure medication? That's because swimming, an aerobic exercise, strengthens the heart, allowing more blood to flow through unencumbered.

Swim for about 30 minutes a day to reap the most benefits and lower your blood pressure. Research has shown that moderate exercise 30 minutes a day (or up to 2.5 hours a week) is sufficient to maintain a healthy heart.

Improves breathing

When you were watching the Olympic Games, did you notice how long swimmers spent underwater on a single breath? There's a reason swimmers can swim much faster and longer on a single breath than the average person – swimming helps your large muscle groups and elevates the heart rate, making your lungs work more efficiently. The more you swim, the more your heart rate and blood pressure will improve.

Improves blood circulation

As you swim, your heart rate increases, thus increasing the supply of blood to your extremities. The increased circulation can help reduce any feelings of numbness and tingling and may even help you redevelop sensation in areas of poor circulation.

Find out some of the medical procedures available should you need to undergo heart treatment. With the correct insurance coverage, your bill size can be better gauged and managed, while Mount Elizabeth Hospitals can assist with all Medisave, MediShield Life and Integrated Shield Plan claims.

For your peace of mind, talk to one of our heart specialists today.

How much exercise is optimal for heart health? (2016, February) Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/how-much-exercise-is-optimal-for-heart-health

Murphy, P. (n.d.) Average Heart Rate for Athletes. Retrieved from https://www.livestrong.com/article/411280-the-average-heart-rate-chart-for-athletes/