Add lengths to your lifespan

We continue our mission to improving our quality of life, in later life. With the warmer days and nights coming to a close, is it time to switch from pounding the pavements to creating some waves instead? We could all reap the rewards as we age.

 As we all know the fitness gurus have long recommended swimming as a joint friendly alternative to jogging. But now the science has gone much deeper. Research from the University of South Carolina studied a vast number of men aged between 20 and 90 over 32 years. They found that those who swam had a 50% lower mortality rate compared to runners, walkers and those who didn’t exercise at all.

 This life lengthening impact of swimming was put down to the fact that water based workouts are far more effective at lowering blood pressure and improving vascular function than land based workouts. But the benefits dont stop there. The wide range of motion required during each stroke, combined with the fact that water is much denser than air, helps to strengthen and mobilise joints to stave off age related disabilities. Thus increasing your healthspan and not just longevity. As weve always advocated, its about the quality of our lives not the necessarily the length of them that matter most.

So its time to break out the speedos out of retirement and literally swim for our lives.

 #gymprofamily

 For some of the benefits of swimming and information about finding your local club see the links below.

 https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/swimming-health-benefits

 https://www.swimming.org/poolfinder/