The practice of swimming helps to strengthen muscles, burn calories, improve heart and lung rate, in addition to releasing hormones that help with mood with lifeguard Recertification.



I recently went swimming for the first time in over a year. Standing above my gym's shimmering blue pool, I tried to remember many of the stressful events of the last 16 months: moving to a new city - Baltimore - during a pandemic, starting a new medical residency training program, and caring for patients with and without Covid-19 in the hospital.

My first thought while diving was that I felt a little more excited than usual, probably due to the extra pounds caused by the quarantine. But as I continued to slide through the water, my initial worry about gaining weight was replaced by a feeling of catharsis, as if the water was cleansing me of the stress that had built up during the pandemic . With each stroke, I could feel my mood improving, my mind clearing and my body relaxing with Lifeguard Certification Va.

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Thirty minutes later, I emerged from the pool with a sense of confidence and poise, ready to begin the first of four night shifts in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). I usually dread the first of these night shifts, but somehow the task felt simpler to handle than usual. “Whatever happens tonight, happens,” I told myself encouragingly. “No matter what happens, there will always be tomorrow.”

My improved mood was undoubtedly 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 – and other neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.

But the benefits of taking a dip go far beyond a momentary lift of spirits — especially now.

changes in mind

As we emerge from isolation, experts say taking care of our mental health must be a priority.

“Americans have faced unprecedented hardship in recent months, but by focusing daily on caring for our own emotional well-being and supporting the well-being of those we love, we can successfully mitigate the mental health effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. ,” former US Surgeon General Jerome Adams said in a press release earlier this year.

"While this is a difficult time in our country's history, I remain steadfast in encouraging Americans to use healthy coping mechanisms," he added.

The prevalence of depressive symptoms in the United States has increased more than threefold with the spread of Covid-19, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Some high-risk groups, including healthcare workers and those under 30 , were at an even higher risk of developing anxiety or depression due to the pandemic, according to another study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

Regular exercise — including swimming, running, yoga , weight training, and even tai chi — remains one of the most powerful tools we have for improving our mood and overall mental health. A 2016 meta-analysis that combined data from 23 randomized controlled trials showed that exercise was comparable to antidepressants and psychotherapy in treating depression.

While part of this is due to the production of endorphins, exercise also results in important structural changes in the brain , particularly in a brain structure called the hippocampus. Along with another brain structure called the cerebellar amygdala, the hippocampus is heavily involved in memory formation and emotion regulation .

Over time, regular aerobic exercise — such as running and swimming — reduces inflammation and promotes nerve growth in the hippocampus , with positive effects on mood and memory, studies show. On the other hand, atrophy or shrinkage of the hippocampus has been linked to the development of mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder.

Also Read About: 10 Benefits you did not know about swimming

defying evolution

Our mental health is not the only thing that has been affected by the Covid pandemic: our bodies have also been impacted. The average American gained about three pounds during the pandemic, according to another study published in JAMA.

“The long-term health effects of Covid-19 are concerning,” Daniel Lieberman, a professor in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, said in an email. Lieberman is also the author of "Exercise: Why Something We Never Evolved To Do Is Healthy and Rewarding."

"To what extent these additional pounds come from diet, (lack of) exercise or stress is difficult to unravel, but well-documented declines in physical activity are clearly one of the causes," Lieberman added.

As with all forms of aerobic exercise , swimming is also a great way to build muscle and burn fat. But swimming has an added benefit: Swimmers typically expend about seven times more energy to move a given distance compared to running.

That's because humans didn't necessarily evolve to become expert swimmers, according to Lieberman. The fastest human swimmers can only reach speeds of about 6 kilometers per hour – the speed at which most people go from a brisk walk to a slow run.

While this aspect of swimming can be frustrating for new swimmers, when it comes to losing weight it might not be a bad thing. “You only have to watch a seal or a beaver swimming to realize that, compared to mammals adapted for swimming, even the best human swimmers perform poorly,” Lieberman added. "The good news is that this inefficiency makes swimming a very effective calorie-burning exercise ."