8 Health Benefits of Swimming

No matter your fitness level, swimming offers many health benefits. It’s one of the most well-rounded workouts you can do, with time in the water touching almost every muscle group in the body. And if high-impact activities like running or tennis have left your knees, hips, or ankles aching, you’ve probably been told to give swimming — a low-impact sport — a try.

That’s because water changes the rules of exercise. Its buoyancy supports your body weight, reducing the impact on your joints, while its natural resistance forces your muscles to work harder with every stroke. The result: a full-body cardio and strength training workout that’s accessible to beginners, those who need water-based physiotherapy, and elite athletes alike.

The benefits don’t stop when you towel off. Research links regular swimming to better cardiovascular health and stronger lungs, improved mental health, and overall healthier aging.

Ready to take the plunge? Here are eight reasons to dive in.

1. Swimming Can Help You Live Longer

One of the biggest advantages of swimming may be that people can stick with it for years — and even decades — because it’s low impact, says Claudio Battaglini, PhD, a world-renowned swim coach, professor of exercise physiology, and co-director of the Exercise Oncology Laboratory at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“Swimming becomes a lifelong fitness strategy for a lot of people. It’s a great aerobic activity you can maintain throughout a lifetime,” he says.

2. Swimming Is a Full-Body Workout

Swimming isn’t “arm day” or “leg day.” It’s an everything day, giving swimmers a great bang for their buck when they head to the pool for a workout.

It strengthens multiple body systems at once, including the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems, while increasing metabolism, according to Lori Sherlock, MS, EdD, an associate professor of exercise physiology at West Virginia University in Morgantown, where she coordinates the only aquatic therapy emphasis course in the country, preparing undergraduate students to become aquatic exercise specialists.

It also activates virtually every muscle group in the body, Dr. Battaglini says. “You’ve got your shoulders, your arms, your core, your back, your glutes, your legs. It’s a very complete exercise,” he says.

3. Swimming Burns Plenty of Calories

4. Swimming Boosts Heart Health

Like other aerobic workouts, swimming can improve your cardiovascular health — but with reduced stress on your joints.

“If you train fast and hard, it’s comparable to interval training outside of the water, like sprinting on the treadmill. We often see the same benefits, such as lower resting heart rates and greater stroke volume,” Battaglini says.

5. Those Laps Can Strengthen Your Lungs

Swimming is often praised for boosting “lung capacity,” but Sherlock says the benefit is really about strengthening the muscles that control breathing. She explains that when you’re submerged in water, the pressure on your chest wall makes inhaling more difficult than on land, forcing your respiratory muscles to work harder with each breath.

“This has similar effects to weight lifting for our respiratory muscles,” Sherlock says.

The added resistance places an external load on the thoracic cavity, the diaphragm, and the muscles between the ribs. Even exhaling into the water, such as blowing bubbles between strokes, creates a form of resisted breathing, she adds.

As you keep swimming, you continue to challenge your respiratory system and its muscles.

6. Swimming May Put You in a Better Mood

Sherlock explains that when you’re immersed, hydrostatic pressure creates a gentle, consistent compression across the body that can reduce pain signals, refine attention, and enhance sensory input. Buoyancy may also ease musculoskeletal discomfort, while the workout itself increases blood flow and triggers the release of feel-good endorphins like dopamine and serotonin, she says.

Battaglini seconds this. “When you’re in the water, it’s fun. It reduces a lot of the day’s stresses and worries. You feel a sense of happiness during that time,” he says.

7. Swimming May Help People With Chronic Pain

According to Sherlock, multiple factors contribute. The gentle pressure of water can help reduce pain, and its buoyancy takes stress off joints, making movement easier. Water also boosts circulation and, when it’s warm, helps loosen stiff muscles and joints, so it’s more comfortable to exercise for people with chronic pain.

It also eases the fear of falling, a major concern for people with these health concerns. “The water supports the body so that risk of injury with falls is basically nonexistent,” she says.

8. It’s Accessible for Everyone

From lap swimming to aqua aerobics to deep-water running, swimming is great for all ages and requires only access to a pool.

“Swimming is an amazing activity for nearly all populations,” Sherlock says. “The water can be even more valuable as a place to begin training because it meets you where you are.”

Engaging in group swimming activities can also create a built-in support network. When Battaglini shifted his cancer rehabilitation program from one-on-one aquatic therapy to a group format, something deeper emerged. “[Participants] developed a sense of community that was extremely important. It was a huge success,” he says.

How to Include Swimming in Your Exercise Plan

If you want to include swimming in your weekly workout routine, consider the following.

Incorporate Swimming Progressively

Start with a 15-minute swim a few times a week and gradually increase duration as fitness levels improve, Sherlock says. “One or two laps followed by water walking or jogging and repeating this sequence may be more approachable,” she says.

If you’re in great shape to begin with, you may be able to start at 30 minutes of swimming laps, three to four times a week, Battaglini says.

Work With a Swim Coach or Take a Group Lesson

If you’re not confident in your stroke, a few sessions with a coach can make a significant difference. Refining your technique helps you move more efficiently through the water, conserve energy, and reduce strain on your shoulders and neck, Battaglini says.

“You start feeling great once your stroke is more technical and efficient — you’re smoother, stronger, and more in control in the water,” he says. Even a short series of beginner lessons can build confidence with swimming laps.

Pick the Stroke That’s Easiest For You

While the butterfly and breaststroke tend to burn the most calories, it’s best to choose a swim stroke that you prefer, Battaglini says. “If you are comfortable with one type of stroke that you feel allows you to go further and you can hold for longer periods of time, that’s the stroke that I would start with,” he says.

Try ‘Vertical’ Aquatic Exercise

Water walking, water aerobics, and water-based interval classes are great options if you don’t want to swim but want to reap the benefits of aquatic exercise. These approaches can also accommodate people who fear swimming in the deep end, Sherlock says.

The Risks of Swimming

While Sherlock says the water is a “very forgiving” route for exercise, there are some instances where you should not swim, including if you have:

• Fever
• Open wounds or active skin infections
• Active pulmonary exacerbation with a significant decline in lung function
• Uncontrolled seizures
• Unstable oxygen saturation that drops significantly with minimal activity
• Severe cardiac instability
• Uncontrolled blood pressure
• Severe respiratory distress
• Recent thoracic surgery without medical clearance
• Active vomiting or diarrhea

Speak to a healthcare professional about any underlying conditions to see if getting in the pool is safe.