"What Regular Swimming Does for the Body and Mind"


After hiking up 2200 feet on Saturday and back down again to Colchuck Lake after two months of not being allowed to walk or hike or run much, I was a little sore in my calves and quads from the elevation. So, for a recovery day today, I grabbed my goggles and headed to Green Lake today to swim, and it felt so good. 

I read an article called "What Regular Swimming Does for the Body and Mind" the other day, and the author said this: "My improved mood was in no doubt related to my recent dip in the pool. Like all types of physical activity, swimming can improve your mood by stimulating the production of endorphins – natural opioids produced in the brain – as well as other neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin." 

The article goes on to add other benefits: 

"There are many other aspects of swimming that make it a uniquely beneficial form of exercise. For example, when we swim, we are completely horizontal, which increases blood return from the venous system to the heart.

This distinctive aspect of swimming comes with additional cardiac benefits as well. For example, maximum heart rates are about 10-15 beats slower during swimming compared to running, increasing the amount of time when the heart can relax and fill with blood, known as “diastolic function.” As a result, the heart’s stroke volume – or the amount of blood pumped by the heart during each beat – increases by 30% to 60% during swimming, according to a 2013 study in the International Journal of Cardiology.

Swimming is also different from other forms of aerobic exercise because it relies on controlled breathing. Over time, this can lead to an increase in total lung capacity and improved overall lung functioning." 

Anyway, I share all this because I found it to be so interesting, and I would not have been in the lake as much this summer had I not been injured. I was thinking about how you may not have been on the trails as much had you all thought that your brother and dad would still be on their bike trip. Anyway, there are so many benefits from your hiking and from my swimming (and any kind of exercise where we get to move our bodies (preferably outside)), and my hope is that we will both keep these up to keep our bodies and minds healthy and strong for the days ahead. What have been the best benefits that you would name from your adventures the last couple of weeks? 

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