February is American Heart Month. Typically, this national event is a time for all of us to take a special focus on our cardiovascular health. In terms of the water, that means swimming – and lots of it. As avid readers might have guessed, swimming is an incredible exercise for your hearth health.
The Goals of American Heart Month 2022
For 2022, American Heart Month will be focusing on detecting high blood pressure. More and more, this common ailment is a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke. In many ways, there is a lack of education on these potential hazards.
According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Now, our usual focus on this blog is drowning danger. That said, there are plenty of other common dangers that deserve attention as well.
American Heart Month is an important time to spread the word about cardiovascular health. Again, thanks to the CDC, we have important reports letting us know that one person dies every 36 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease. Adding to this, roughly 659,000 people die from heart disease each year in this country. In a nutshell, that’s one in every four deaths.
Vigorous Swimming Can Help to Improve Heart Health
Fortunately, all hope is not lost. As we’ve detailed in the past, swimming is a nearly
perfect full-body workout. As a cardiovascular exercise,
swimming is tough to beat. You see, it works multiple muscles at once. A swimmer is constantly pulling their full body along in the water. Additionally, this form of exercise has the added benefit of efficiently burning calories.
Swimming on a routine basis can help to maintain an active lifestyle. In turn, this helps to decrease the risk of all kinds of cardiovascular disease, including strokes and blood pressure.
Did you know that swimming for 30 minutes a few times each week can help to significantly lower your blood pressure levels? Better circulation means the blood is better able to deliver oxygen and remove waste throughout your body. In turn, this regular activity helps to reduce the risk of embolisms and stroke.
Lots of people swim for their own health. For example, did you know that television personality Mister Rogers was a daily lifetime swimmer? Don’t take our word for it. Here’s his long-term co-star Mister McFeely to tell you the story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzXfLaoKA9Q&ab_channel=TimBomba
Beyond American Heart Month
The heart is a powerful muscle. Like any other muscle, the heart can be made stronger by regular exercise. A lower heart rate means that your stronger and larger heart won’t need to work so hard to perform basic activities.
Sure, today we’re focusing on the cardiovascular benefits for American Heart Month; but there is so much more to love about swimming. Besides heart health, there are many benefits to choosing daily swimming as your cardio exercise of choice. For instance, one of the best reasons to swim is that it is much easier on your joints than something like running. Swimming is relatively easy and can leave you feeling refreshed, even after a vigorous workout. Give it a try!
