{"id":584941,"date":"2024-05-03T06:12:50","date_gmt":"2024-05-03T13:12:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=584941"},"modified":"2024-05-03T06:17:50","modified_gmt":"2024-05-03T13:17:50","slug":"national-geographic-report-swimming-is-the-best-form-of-exercise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/national-geographic-report-swimming-is-the-best-form-of-exercise\/","title":{"rendered":"National Geographic Report: Swimming Is the Best Form of Exercise"},"content":{"rendered":"

National Geographic: Swimming the Best Form of Exercise<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Swimming is more than a way to race, but a way to exercise.<\/p>\n

The water provides cardio with natural water resistance that builds and tones muscle and burns calories, all giving a boost to health in everything from the heart to mental health.<\/p>\n

National Geographic called it the best form of exercise in a recent article<\/a>. It is a sport that spans ages, cultures and geography.<\/p>\n

“Propelling one’s body mass through water activates numerous systems throughout the body and makes the low-impact, high-results nature of the sport second to none,” the article stated.<\/p>\n

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Americans make more than 300 million recreational swimming visits per year, which has made the sport the fourth-most popular recreational activity in the country.<\/p>\n

“Swimming provides an array of specific benefits such as improved cardiovascular and respiratory fitness, improved muscle strength and endurance, improved lean body mass, lower risk of traumatic injuries such as occurs during high-impact activities, and improved mental health and well-being,” Mitch Lomax<\/strong>, a pulmonologist and exercise physiologist at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom, told National Geographic.<\/p>\n

According to the report:<\/strong><\/p>\n