Joy Onuorah

As well as being fun, swimming is a great way to keep fit, stay healthy and make friends.

Swimming is a healthy activity that you can continue for a lifetime. It is a low-impact activity that has many physical and mental health benefits.

Swimming is a good all-round activity because it:

• keeps your heart rate up but takes some of the impact stress off your body
• builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness
• helps you maintain a healthy weight, healthy heart and lungs
• tones muscles and builds strength
• provides an all-over body workout, as nearly all of your muscles are used during swimming.

Swimming has many other benefits including:

• being a relaxing and peaceful form of exercise
• alleviating stress
• improving coordination, balance and posture
• improving flexibility
• providing good low-impact therapy for some injuries and conditions
• providing a pleasant way to cool down on a hot day
• being available in many places – you can swim in swimming pools, beaches, lakes, dams and rivers. Make sure that the environment you choose to swim in is safe.