Diversifying your workout is probably one of the best ways to stay fresh and not get bored of the same repetitive activity over and over again. Many people will go to the gym and do their same routine, not realizing that they have probably hit a plateau. These people need to start mixing in different activities in order to make any more significant exercise gains. Some members will use the treadmill, the elliptical and even the bike as forms of their cardiovascular fitness, which is a great thing. The problem with this can be the monotony of the same activity day in and day out and they may also not be challenging themselves. I have a solution to this. I suggest trying something that is probably one of the best forms of cardiovascular and resistance training exercise. Swim!!
If you decide to take on the task of swimming there can be many benefits. One is that it is low impact in that it can be relatively injury free if you practice the correct strokes and don't overtrain. Some research suggests that swimming actually expends more energy than running or walking because the water causes an external resistance. Another benefit is that swimming is non weight bearing and is used as a rehab area for athletes. A lot of athletic trainers and physical therapist recommend and use pool for rehab on their patients. When compared to running, swimming does not have that pounding sensation against the ground and can possibly make muscles stronger due to the resistance of the water. One last benefit to swimming is that it is different and it will break up the repetitiveness of the same activities.
Swimming can be a very challenging activity. If you do decide to take on this new task then I suggest doing some research on proper technique and different drills you can do to improve your stroke.
