While you watched in awe this summer as Michael Phelps sped through the water at the Olympics, you may have forgotten that swimming is a sport for all ages and abilities. Swimming is a lifelong activity and a life skill everyone should know how to perform. Swimming is also one of the best forms of cardiovascular exercise.

Physical benefits of swimming:

• Reduced stress on your joints due to the buoyancy of the water
• Increased flexibility from the wide range of movement needed for each stroke
• Utilizing all muscle groups while constantly stimulating your heart rate.

One physical benefit people often forget is the effect swimming has on your lungs. Swimming helps develop your lung strength and capacity with every breath. When you are breathing on land, it doesn’t take much work for your muscles to inhale and exhale. However, once in the pool the water adds resistance to each breath, forcing the muscles to work harder to expand, strengthening them.  Many people with asthma swim to help them work on breath control and lung strength. Singers and those who present often can find benefit in lung capacity from swimming.

Swimming is also a great activity for your mental health. Swimmers often talk about how they enjoy their ‘alone’ time to clear their mind as they swim back and forth, not having to think too much other than “there’s a wall, turn around.”  Having your head in the water can help with many distractions you might have on the treadmill and really let you focus on yourself. Swimming with friends can also give you the feeling of community and you can meet some new friends in the pool.

When starting a swimming workout routine, set reasonable goals and don’t get frustrated if you think you are in great shape and can only swim for 5 minutes. Being in shape for swimming is different than being in shape for running. Your lungs are working harder and you’re using every muscle group. Try for 20 minutes 2x a week and then increase time and frequency of workouts. There are available workouts to use in the black box on the pool deck with varying distances.  The Recreation Department offers incentive programs year round in the pool to keep you motivated and give you a chance to earn prizes. Swim 2 Spring Break is January 14 – March 8 and Butler 500 is April 1-26.

Swimming laps isn’t the only way to benefit from water activities. The Aquatic Center at the HRC has water volleyball, water basketball, a current channel you can walk with or against, and a hot tub. There are aqua jogger belts available if you want to jog in the water.  For those looking for group exercise, Aqua Power is the water fitness class offered every Thursday for HRC members from 7:15p-8:15p in the spring semester.

Swim lessons are available for adults and youth in group, private, or semi-private formats. Group lessons are great for those that learn better in groups and may need motivation from peers to accomplish tasks. Private lessons are 1 on 1 instruction for those looking to get over a fear of the water, need more focused instruction, or need more flexibility with scheduling. Semi-private lessons are a perfect way to learn with friends and have the scheduling flexibility. The Department of Recreation Swim Lesson information can be found at http://www.butler.edu/hrc/aquatics/swim-lessons/

Stability ball wall squats are a great exercise to help strengthen your core, hamstrings, and glutes.

Exercise Tips from the Butler HRC to Get You Through the Holiday Season

We all want the Norman Rockwell picture perfect holiday, but most of us end up with something that resembles more of a Clark Griswold or Homer Simpson holiday. However, it doesn’t have to be like that.

Exercise can help alleviate some of the stressors brought on by the holiday season and help maintain your weight as you make your way through the maze of parties!   Here are 3 words for you:  STRETCH, STRENGTHEN, and MOVE!

STRETCHING–  There are so many reasons you need to stretch and stay flexible:

• Decreases muscle stiffness and increases range of motion. Stretching helps improve your range of motion which may also slow the degeneration of the joints.
• May reduce your risk of injury. A flexible muscle is less likely to become injured from a slightly extensive movement. By increasing the range of motion in a particular joint through stretching, you may decrease the resistance on your muscles during various activities.
• Improves posture. Stretching the muscles of the lower back, shoulders and chest will help keep your back in better alignment and improve your posture.
• Helps reduce or manage stress. Well stretched muscles hold less tension and, therefore, leave you feeling less stressed.  Stretching allows the muscles to relax. Habitually tense muscles tend to cut off their own circulation resulting in a lack of oxygen and essential nutrients.
• Improves mechanical efficiency and overall functional performance. Since a flexible joint requires less energy to move through a wider range of motion, a flexible body improves overall performance by creating more energy-efficient movements.
• Prepares the body for the stress of exercise. Stretching prior to exercise allows the muscles to loosen up and become resistant to the impact they are about to undergo.
• Promotes circulation. Stretching increases blood supply to the muscles and joints which allow for greater nutrient transportation and improves the circulation of blood through the entire body.
• Decreases the risk of low-back pain. Flexibility in the hamstrings, hip flexors, and muscles attached to the pelvis relieves stress on the lumbar spine which in turn reduces the risk of low-back pain.

STRENGTH TRAINING- is critical for combating frailty and disability, for increasing strength and mobility, for staying active and self-sufficient.  All it takes is a few exercises to reap the benefits, and with at least 20 minutes, you can do most exercises in your own home using your body weight:  push-ups, sit ups, bridges, supermans/quadrapeds, planks, standing calf raises, back extensions, squats, bicep curls using canned goods, etc.

If everybody insists on staying inside to watch a football game or another episode of i-Carly, join them, but do your stretches and yoga while you lie on the floor.  I do it with my nieces and 2 out of the 3 end up doing the stretches with me!

MOVE/CARDIO-It’s one way to burn calories and help you lose weight.  It makes your heart strong so that it doesn’t have to work as hard to pump blood. It increases your lung capacity, it helps reduce risk of heart attack, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. It makes you feel good, it helps you sleep better, and it helps reduce stress.

If you can’t get in your normal amount of exercise, then shorten your routine but increase your intensity.  You don’t have to train for a marathon to reap the benefits.  Cardio is cumulative, so 10 minutes here and there adds up.

Look for ways to incorporate it throughout your day:

• Don’t spend your time driving around looking for a parking spot.  Purposefully park far away and walk.
• Ladies, throw a pair of sneakers in the car so if you have to walk far and you are dressed up, then just throw on your sneakers and put your dress shoes in a bag and walk to wherever you need to go (New York and Chicago ladies do it all the time)!
• Take the stairs whenever you get a chance!
• Make it a family affair- bundle up the kids and throw them in the little red wagon as you walk around the neighborhood looking at lights, have a snowman contest, walk the dog, rake the leaves, all the snow filled activities play, etc….just move.
• If the kids don’t want to go, take time for yourself and go for a walk in fresh air.

Still want some extra help?  Don’t forget the HRC offers personal training for members and non-members at very reasonable rates!

Did you know that Butler’s Health and Recreation Complex offers Certified Personal Training for students, HRC members, and Non-Members?

Certified Personal Training Rates

*Fitness assessment included with private and group session purchases of two or more

Notice: Prospective client must be at least 16 years old to be eligible for the personal training service. All training sessions must be used within 6 months of date of purchase.

Contact Ceci Jennings, Personal Training Coordinator, at cajennin@butler.edu ext. 6121 for information regarding the Personal Training service.