With swimming now officially the most popular participation sport in the UK* and new national awareness programs such as ‘Learn to Swim’ and ‘Free Swimming’ there’s never been a better time to visit your local pool.

These initiatives have prompted top personal trainer Lucy Wyndham-Read and behavioral psychologist Judi James – resident experts at AXA PPP healthcare’s Nutrition and Fitness website – to compile a series of water-based workouts and motivational exercises, which are designed to help you get the most out of swimming.

Lucy Wyndham-Read recommends swimming as a form of regular physical activity for people of all ages and fitness levels.
“Whether you’re an absolute beginner or a fitness fanatic, swimming is an excellent way to tone up, improve your cardiovascular health, lower your blood pressure and leave you feeling fighting fit.”

Judi James adds:
“Swimming is naturally enjoyable for most people and if you enjoy something you’re far more likely to stick to it.”

How swimming can help your fitness
Exercise such as swimming can indeed help combat stress and beat the blues, adds Lucy, as it releases endorphins (the body’s natural ‘feel good’ chemicals) into your bloodstream. It is also low impact putting less pressure on the joints unlike exercises such as aerobics and running, making it one of the safest activities you can do. Swimming also tones your entire body while still providing a great workout and being in the water keeps you cool, meaning you can work out for longer.

Expert Swimming tips

Lucy’s pool workouts

- Workout 1 – Add some variety to your swimming by doing one length as fast as you can, then the next two at a moderate pace. Repeat this several times. This is a great way to burn off extra calories.

- Workout 2 – Mix it up by switching strokes after each length. For example, use a combination of breast stroke (great for toning arms and legs), back stroke (great for upper body flexibility) and front crawl (great for working on speed and fitness).

- Workout 3 – Place a float between your knees and swim a length using either front crawl or breast stroke. This is a great way of training and toning your upper body. Then switch, and for the next length extend your arms in front, hold on to the float and power yourself using your legs only. Repeat several times.

- Workout 4 – This is a simple way of toning deep into your abdominal muscles. Using any swimming stroke, pull your belly button up tight to your spine, hold for 10 seconds, then release. Repeat several times.

‘British Swimming’, the national governing body for swimming in the UK says that any swimming that makes you breathe more heavily counts as ‘moderate’ activity. “Even treading water takes effort, so you are working most of the time you’re in the pool.” It adds that 30 minutes of steady-paced lane swimming burns off more than 200 calories.

Set up as part of the government’s ‘Be Active, Be Healthy’ strategy designed to get 2 million people more active by 2012 adults who are 60 or over and under-16’s can now swim for free in over a thousand swimming pools run by almost 300 local councils. Free lessons are also being offered in some areas to help the one in five adults who can’t swim learn.

AXA PPP healthcare’s Nutrition and Fitness website offers information and advice on topical healthy living issues, featuring articles, exercises, recipes and videos from many of the UK’s leading specialists.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
AXA Nutrition and Fitness

Gastrointestinal function and ecology are critical to your longevity health. Gastrointestinal health is longevity health. The undigested food in your digestive system often becomes the breeding ground for the development of potentially harmful bacteria that live in your bowl, and thus influences your health and well-being.

Your gastrointestinal tract is composed of your mouth and teeth, your esophagus and stomach, your small and large intestines. These digestive organs, together with your liver, kidneys, and pancreas, not only digest your food but also assimilate nutrients from what you eat and drink. Therefore, your gastrointestinal tract plays a pivotal role in your overall health and wellness. There is absolute truth in the statement: “Death begins at the colon.” Your gastrointestinal health immunizes you from many diseases and disorders that are enemies to your longevity health.

To optimize your gastrointestinal health, you must not overstress your gastrointestinal tract.<!–more–>

Avoid eating refined and processed foods and sugar. Any food item in the supermarket that comes in a can, box or carton is most probably processed. All processed foods are loaded with chemicals, and all refined foods are deprived of nutrients that may benefit your gastrointestinal health.

Do not unduly stress your gastrointestinal tract by overeating or failing to chew your food adequately.

Drinking water or any liquid during a meal tends to dilute your digestive juices, and thus weakens the digestive process in the gastrointestinal tract.

Excess alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine also impair your gastrointestinal function.

Use of prescription or over-the-counter drugs is also damaging to your gastrointestinal tract. Remember, all pharmaceutical drugs are chemicals, and as such, they are toxic to your body system, including your gastrointestinal tract.

Lack of fiber and inadequate enzymes in your diet may also be contributing factors to an unhealthy gastrointestinal tract. Get your fiber from beans, vegetables, and fruits, such as apples; a regular raw diet provides you with enzymes to assist your digestion.

Your gastrointestinal health is essentially a reflection of your lifestyle.

To optimize your gastrointestinal function, you need to re-balance your diet and change your lifestyle. To change your lifestyle is more challenging than re-balancing your diet. Your gastrointestinal tract, like the rest of your body, also needs a break every now and then in order to recuperate. Fasting for internal cleansing is the best option, especially for the gastrointestinal tract. However, if you think a water fast is too much for you, consider a juice fast – that is, you drink only juices from fresh vegetables or fruits for one or two days to cleanse your body system. Fasting for internal cleansing for gastrointestinal health is a must for longevity health.

——

Stephen Lau is a writer and researcher. He has published several books and many websites on health, healing, depression, eating disorders, and golf. For more information on longevity health, and also get your FREE copy of the 143-page e-book “All-Round Weight Loss” by Stephen Lau, go to: http://www.longevityforyou.com/li.html

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_903051_23.html