7 (obvious) reasons: Swimming is the perfect form of exercise for everyone!

Swimming - You simply won't find a better, more fun and more challenging form of exercise. When you swim, you burn a LOT of calories, the chance of injury is almost zero, and it's also really good fitness training. It can't get any better, can it?

Have you ever tried the most common types of exercise with Lifeguard class, but never found the perfect one for you? Running is just too boring in the long run, cycling takes too long and you never get to the gym regularly. At the same time, the kilos have just quietly started to settle, while you restlessly do not know what to do.

Then swimming is probably what you should try! It is a different and relatively undiscovered form of exercise where you set the options yourself. Almost everywhere in Denmark there is a swimming pool that you can easily and cheaply use. Swimming is also a form of exercise which with almost 100% certainty does not cause injuries (I have not yet experienced this despite 6 years with an average of 5 training sessions/week). So you can practice swimming over a very long period of time without worrying about injuries or other things that prevent you from swimming. This also means that swimming is perhaps the very best form of exercise for people with back pain, bad knees and arthritis, as the joints are not stressed at the same time when it takes place in water, where the body is "weightless".

1. Swimming quickly becomes YOUR favorite form of exercise!

There are already many people who use swimming as their weekly form of exercise. And there are quite a few different reasons for that. Regardless of whether you can swim or not, are thin or fat and are old or young, a regular trip to the swimming pool can mean that your muscles are strengthened, breathing is regulated, you get better mental relaxation and balance and your posture and flexibility improve. All at the same time. As an added bonus, you achieve all these things without straining your joints and knees, because the water carries your weight, such as jogging and running otherwise do.

2. It costs a blade of grass to get started

As a swimmer, you need almost nothing. With a pair of swimming trunks/swimsuit and a pair of glasses you are well on your way.

The swimming trunks and bathing suit are almost self-described as a swimmer - the same as running shoes are for a runner. And just like on the running market, there are all kinds of different kinds in all sorts of colors, patterns, sizes and lengths.

In addition, I would recommend that you get a pair of swimming goggles. It is not necessary, just like the swimming trunks/swimsuit are, but I myself found it decidedly uncomfortable to swim without. Even if you intend to swim with your head above water. It's just really annoying that sometimes you get splashes of water in your eyes - it almost makes you have to stop and "dry" your eyes. That's why I really thought you should get a pair of swimming goggles. See possibly our test of the best swimming goggles. (link)

That way, you can get started with exercise swimming for under 500 kroner. Much cheaper than many other forms of exercise.

If you want a little more equipment, or have found that swimming is really fun, you can also invest in a swimming cap , a pair of flippers and a plate .

3. You can do no wrong with swimming.

I know the uncertainty well: "What do the others not think of my swimming style", "Which lane should I lie on now, which lane suits my level?" and "How do you act on such a course?". These are all questions that many people ask themselves before jumping into the swimming pool. And that is quite normal.

There are no definitive answers to such questions, because everything is okay. In swimming, you can't do anything wrong. Nothing. Everyone swims the different styles in different ways, and thus there is nothing wrong with how to swim.

Another very common question is which lane to lie on. Often in the swimming pools around Denmark, the lanes are full (especially in the morning from 6:00-7:30 and the same in the afternoon) with exercisers. Here it is just about getting an overview of the exercise swimmers. Which swim fast, which swim less fast.

4. An extra dimension: Get free calorie burning

Let's start by dispelling a myth: You don't burn fewer calories because swimming takes place in water, and you don't sweat as such. You sweat, it's just not something you discover or notice. Oddly enough because you are in water ;-)

Furthermore , it is no secret that the swimming pool can often seem a little cold at first. This is because the body is approx. 37 degrees, while the water is only between 26-27 degrees. And when it's a bit cold, the hot pool at the other end of the swimming hall calls for a lot. But then you have to try to turn it around, and think of the cold water as a positive thing. Because when the water is cold, your body has to use a lot of energy to stay warm, and thus burns even more. Wow, that was very clever!

5. Swimming increases your oxygen intake more than any other form of exercise

In swimming you use almost all muscles. Also the very large muscle groups such as the thigh, back, chest and arms. When these muscles are exercised and used, they need a whole lot of oxygen to keep them going. A lot. When you repeatedly expose your body to this pressure for oxygen, your lung and heart capacity expands and thus improves your fitness and shape. And it happens much faster in the water than all other forms of exercise.

6. Swimming is just back and forth, isn't it? Isn't that fun?

Yes, normally you just swim back and forth. Continually. For several hours. Turn after turn. But it doesn't HAVE to be. There are plenty of options to make training a little more varied and fun. Because after 8 years as a swimmer, where I have swum more courses than many others, it is still just as much fun. It hasn't changed. It's just about making some variety in the training.

You can, for example, have a small competition with the person next to you. "Shall we see who comes down the other end first?". Then you get your heart rate up, and it gives a little variety in the otherwise streamlined training. Another option is to use the tools that the swimming halls make available. You can swim a bit with the plates on the edge, take a pull boy between your legs and swim arm or buy your own snorkel and flippers.

7. What if you can't swim?

If you can't swim, it's a bit difficult to use swimming as a form of exercise at first. But of course you can learn that. In virtually every swimming pool/swimming club, there are teams for adults who want to learn to swim. Then you are with other adults who also want to learn to swim. You also have a teacher to teach you. Super nice. Otherwise, you can use my 10-week swimming guide here, where you will get programs, tips and motivation - then I promise you that you can swim!

But before you start, I just want to point out that it takes time to learn with Universal Certificate. It is technically difficult to swim, as you have to combine both arms and legs. A little more difficult than running or cycling. But it's not difficult either. It's just getting started, right?