Senior Swans: Safe Swimming for Elders

By Christina Pasetta

As Greatest Generation makes way for the Boomers, followed by the largest group of seniors we will ever have in history, keeping everyone happy and healthy long into their golden oldies is our priority. Swimming and aqua fitness are excellent ways to maintain muscle strength, mental stimulation, community, among a myriad of other benefits!

 

The older we get the easier it is to lose muscle mass. Muscle use releases serotonin, increasing our happiness and fighting depression as we age.

 

Swim for Strength. For seniors, building and maintaining muscle mass is the key to unlock decades of health while aging. Muscles support the skeleton and combat the tendency for bone-loss while aging. Additionally, strong muscles increase balance needed to prevent devastating and life threatening falls.

 

Aqua fitness involves resistance training, important for keeping hearts and bones, strong.

 

Swim for Community. The connectivity between us all maintains our friendships, social lives, and sense of belonging. Through aqua fitness, we can exercise with our neighbors, companions, and friends, highlighting and embracing societal inclusiveness of seniors.

 

Creating a routine of togetherness maintains senior fitness regimens, strengthening communal bonds as well as muscles

 

Swim for Vitality. Studies show regular exercise throughout life throttles the aging process, proving stronger immunity and lung function, lower cholesterol, and greater muscle mass. Aqua fitness research illuminates the great benefits of cardiovascular workouts for lowering blood pressure as well.

 

Swim for Fun! Buoyancy can prove a bit awkward, teetering while attempting a spin maneuver or “jogging.” What better way to move, than to giggle your way through a workout than with friends in a water aerobics class?

 

The benefits of swimming are apparent for all who take the plunge. Water exercise is beyond a mere practice of body and mind, but of spirit and resilience. Be strong for your health, be involved for your community, and be energized for all the fun life continues to present.

 

We’re all guilty of putting off workouts, relenting only when the clothes tighten or after a doctor urges us. It’s never too late for self-care. No matter how far into the years you have adventured, whether you are feeling the aches of the years start to wear or have always been keen on fitness, be a vibrant swimming senior swan!

 

Jump back into the wonderful wet world of water exercise - join a senior swim class today!

 

 

This article is brought to you by: The Swimming Swan