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Why Swimming Lessons Can Boost Your Mental Health

Young woman smiling while leaning on the ledge of the pool

Old or young, experienced or novice, swimming lessons for people in Mississauga, and all over the province of Ontario, are a fact of life. Living in a place with such an abundance of freshwater and swimming opportunities means people here spend a significant amount of time in and around the water. While enjoyable for their own sake, and a vital part of competence and safety in the water, swimming lessons don’t just teach the mechanics and the knowledge required to enjoy the water, they can also be a great way to improve mental health. Below are some of the ways in which swimming lessons can have a positive impact on your psychological well-being.

The numbers speak: swimming and swimming lessons improve mental health

You don’t even need to be an avid swimmer to get noticeable mental health benefits from swimming lessons. A YouGov poll conducted in the United Kingdom in October of 2018 found that some 1.4 million adults in the United Kingdom who engaged in regular swimming experienced a lessening of their anxiety and depression symptoms, during and after.

Physical and mental health are closely related

Swimming is a great way to help combat anxiety and depression because it gets you moving. Swimming is a full body anaerobic workout that involves resistance, strength, and cardiovascular training. The studies which link physical and mental health are numerous, and the Canadian Mental Health Association considers the two areas of human health to be fundamentally linked. People in Mississauga can take advantage of the number of rec-centres and swimming lessons providers in the community to make real improvements to their mental health.

The physiological effects of swimming

Swimming lessons are a great exercise routine to incorporate into your physical-mental health care because they are for a set amount of time. If you swim for just half an hour three times a week, you will notice lowered stress levels, elevated mood, better sleep patterns, and a direct positive impact on anxiety and depression.

Swimming lessons, and swimming in general, is not just fun, it is therapeutic as well. Human beings have an innate love of the water. Under careful instruction and guidance, we can feel at home, even safe. Learning to love and enjoy the water involves some time and practice, but the benefits, including a noticeable positive effect on mental health, are many. Get in touch with British Swim School today and find out more about how swimming lessons in Mississauga can provide you with an effective means to relieve stress, anxiety, and depression, and promote better mental health.

References

(2016). “How Swimming Improves Mental Health.” Swimming.org. Retrieved from: https://www.swimming.org/justswim/swimming-improves-mental-health/

(2018). “Connection Between Mental and Physical Health.” Canadian Mental Health Association. Retrieved from: https://ontario.cmha.ca/documents/connection-between-mental-and-physical-health/

Barr, S. (2018). “World Mental Health Day: How Swimming Regularly Can Reduce Symptoms of Anxiety or Depression.” The Independent. Retrieved from: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/world-mental-health-day-swimming-anxiety-depression-swim-england-yougov-a8576876.html

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