one hundred and eight

I have a lifelong love of swimming and I am thrilled to say that both our girls love the water as well. On any given day, if asked for their input, they will most likely suggest swimming. Indoors, outdoors, winter, summer, bathtub, ocean…you name it!

We’ve recently become a family of four independent swimmers, as Esme has shed her bubble. She was especially proud today to have both a) learned what a ‘lap’ is and b) swam one all on her own.

Swimming offers many benefits that can’t be ignored. Because you are supported by water, it’s a low-impact sport and thus virtually injury-free. For the same reason it’s also a great exercise if you’re overweight, since it spares your joints the pounding experienced in gravity-bound sports like running.

The varied strokes used in swimming take your joints through a full range of motion that can improve flexibility. Most important, few exercises give you the head-to-toe muscle workout that swimming does.

You are using almost all the major muscle groups of the body. the legs, hips, abs, chest, shoulders, and upper back – all of these muscles are working. You can also get tremendous stimulation to the heart and respiratory system. As far as general health goes, swimming is an excellent conditioner.