Benefits of Swimming in Increasing Stamina, Lung Capacity & its Positive Effects on Health

The benefits of increased stamina can be witnessed in regular life and day to day activities of an individual. With enhanced endurance, one can swim faster and longer like never before. A person with increased stamina and lung capacity find it easier to climb stairs or run to catch a bus and other such acetifies. Overall an individual feels more energetic and better able to do activities for long periods of time.

On the other hand, lung capacity is measured by experts in terms of VO2 max. This reflects the amount of oxygen our lungs distribute to heart and muscles per minute during exercise. The VO2 tremendously increases when an individual opts for an aerobic exercise regime, such as swimming. Once the capacity of lung increases, it makes an individual feel healthier like never before.

Swimming is not all about relaxing or playing about in water on hot summer days; swimming is a form of intense and enjoyable workout which is very effective in strengthening your upper and lower body. Individuals who swim regularly for at least 20 minutes daily will observe an increase in their stamina and increased ability of lungs to deliver oxygen to the body. One can further increase their aerobic gains by inserting high intensity intervals in their fitness regime. However, before an individual opts for swimming to increase stamina and lung capacity, they should consult their doctor to enquire if they are in good health to do swimming on a regular basis.

Swimming is said to be beneficial for lungs in various ways. It helps the lungs to use oxygen efficiently. At the time of exercising or swimming, the heart rate and large muscle groups gets elevated enabling the lungs to perform efficiently. So, the more an individual is going to swim, the better will be that person’s blood pressure and overall health. This shall further make the breathing task easier, enabling individuals to get rid of any form of stress or lung problems.

Swimming in regular intervals for a long period of time is one of the highly recommended workout sessions. For individuals who swim at least three times in a week for 20 minutes have a healthier body in comparison to others. Moreover, a swimmer’s cardiovascular system and muscles tend to adapt to the exercise routine by becoming stronger. Not only this, the lungs will also have increased function and capacity by taking in more air and delivering sufficient amount of oxygen to your muscles.

It is highly advisable to tailor your swimming routine, such that additional benefits can be gained in terms of increased stamina and lung capacity. Following are some of the recommendations which must be followed at the time of swimming;

1. Practicing swimming in short sprints or high intensity interval is much more beneficial than performing in steady leaps.
2. Various studies have brought forth that people who perform swimming or other exercise in intervals of four minutes at 90% of heart rate, and interval of three minutes at 70% heart rate have much improved lung capacity in comparison to others.

The ability of your lungs to use oxygen affects the stamina of an individual. The body’s capability to utilize oxygen efficiently and produce energy eventually gets lost while you keep on doing the same type of exercise at the same speed continuously. In other words, it means that your lungs deliver more oxygen in the beginning when you start swimming, but eventually when you continue to swim; the body’s ability to utilize oxygen becomes less efficient. This affects an individual’s ability to continue swimming. In such a scenario, it is advisable to go for regular swimming and maintain a routine such that slowly your endurance increases and it reduces the slow component factor of your body. Once you develop this capability, it enables you to exercise or swim for a long period of time.

Following are some of the steps which can be undertaken while swimming to improve lung capacity and stamina with:

1. Breathing Correctly When Swimming: While stroking it is important to analyze your breathing. At the time of doing freestyle swimming, it is essential to fully exhale before you turn your head to take another breathe.
2. Kicking Lightly When Swimming: Kicking lighter than usual can really help you save oxygen. Quadriceps and thighs are two largest muscles which require maximum amount of oxygen in the body. Hence kicking lightly will help you save oxygen and have increased stamina throughout your swimming session.
3. Breath Control Sets: The use of breath control sets enables proper breathing in a swimmer. There are two ways in which breath control set can be achieved, i.e. by holding breath for a long period of time or by practicing low frequency breathing pattern.
4. No Breathers: This can immensely increase the capacity of your lungs. While swimming do 25 freestyle swimming without breathing and make sure to kick light. Ensure to find steady pace during performing the sets such that enhanced lung capacity and stamina can be experienced with swimming.
5. Butterfly Stroke: This swimming stroke is a nice way to bring your body into rhythm when swimming. For individuals who are comfortable, they can choose to do some 25 butterfly strokes while holding your breath.
6. Underwater: Another way of improving your breath and stamina is to swim some laps under the water. Variations can also be performed, like kick in streamline, backstrokes or you can opt for other methods. Try to complete the whole lap inside the water, if you are able to make it without a breath, then definitely you are going to experience increased stamina and lung capacity like never before.

Swimming undoubtedly is one of the best forms of aerobics exercise, which facilitates an individual to increase their stamina and also lung capacity. Individuals who choose to swim regularly and in intervals can experience much healthier body like never before. So try to include swimming in your fitness regime, as much as possible, because swimming is not only a great exercise, but also a very enjoyable exercise with tremendous health benefits including increased lung capacity and stamina.