Benefits of swimming

There are so many great benefits to swimming that we should all want to learn to swim! Here are some of the main benefits you can get from swimming regularly:

• Swimming is a great form of exercise. You get a full body workout when you go for a swim. Swimming uses all the muscles in the body, so whether you swim a gentle breaststroke or race along in butterfly, you will get a full body workout. Plus, exercising in water makes your body work harder, so 30 minutes in a pool is worth 45 minutes of the same activity on land.
• It is a non-weight bearing activity, which means that there is less stress on joints. Swimming is also lower impact, meaning there is less force moving through bones and joints.
• Swimming is great for general wellbeing. Just doing 30 minutes of swimming, three times a week, alongside a balanced, healthy diet and lifestyle is one of the best ways to stay fit and healthy and to maintain a positive mental outlook.
• It’s great for your mental health too. Swimming regularly can lower your stress levels, reduce anxiety and depression, and improve your sleep. You can get the mental health benefits of swimming with just a light swim, no racing required. Swimming has significantly reduced the symptoms of anxiety or depression for 1.4 million adults in Britain. You can find out more, including tips for swimmers with mental health issues, at the swimming.org website.
• Swimming is one of the most effective ways to burn calories. A gentle swim can burn over 200 calories in just half an hour, more than double that of walking. A faster swim is even more effective than if you went running or cycling.
• As well as being a great form of cardiovascular exercise, swimming just 30 minutes a week can help to guard against heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
• Swimming is a great way to stay active if you have injuries or impairments, as water supports up to 90 percent of your body’s weight, making it accessible for most people. Plus we have hoists at our pools if you need help to get in and out and trained staff to help support you. We have specialist swimming lessons for children with disabilities too.
• Inactivity is often responsible for people’s lack of energy. 30 minutes of swimming, three times each week, can boost your energy levels by increasing your metabolic rate.
• Swimming can help you stay younger for longer! OK, so we can’t stop the ageing process but with things linked to ageing like muscle mass and lung function, swimming slows down the ageing process. Find out more at the swimming.org website.
• There are even more benefits of swimming listed on the swimming.org website.
• Finally and most importantly, learning to swim can literally save your life! It also opens up opportunities to take up other activities in and around water with increased confidence. Visit the Royal Life Saving Society website for more information on water safety.

If you need lessons to help you learn to swim or feel confident in the pool visit our swimming lessons page.

If you’re already a swimmer and just looking to get back into the pool, take a look at what swim sessions we provide and visit our swimming times page to see when and where we have something on that would suit you.

To swim at Gedling Leisure pools (Arnold, Calverton and Carlton Forum Leisure Centres) you need to either take out a DNA membership (there are no contracts, so you're not tied in to anything long term) or you can sign up for a Gedling Leisure Card and pay as you go.