Mission: 6-Pack Abs

I believe that one of the best forms of exercise is swimming. It’s very low impact, compared to, say, jogging, and yet the fitness benefits are probably better. It helps your lungs stay in shape, thanks to the rhythmic breathing you have to do while swimming. It’s one terrific aerobic exercise if you do it right.

In college,  I used to be with the swimming varsity team. I tried out in my first year, and the coach told me that I needed more training, but he accepted me anyway. It was a good run–err–swim for me. Until I started smoking two years later. The team captain caught me with a cigarette one lazy afternoon on campus… and that was it for me.

Anyway, I still remember what the coach said — it really stuck to my mind. He said that, in order for swimming to be beneficial as a form of exercise, you have to swim for at least 20 minutes non-stop. Then rest and do bubbles for a minute, then go do laps again.

The water makes your body buoyant, so that you don’t exert much when you swim (compared to how you move in other sports). That’s why it’s important to continuously swim for a minimum period: in order to maximize the effort. Also, to keep your heart rate up.

Swimming can be especially good for people who feel they can’t exert too much anymore due to age or injury. Since it’s such a low-impact exercise (let’s not include Olympic-level swimming here, ok?), you won’t have to worry about your bones or joints.

The least difficult in non-competitive swimming is the breast stroke (in competition, however, it is considered the most difficult to execute correctly). It’s a good technique to use because of the balance it affords and, well, safety. That’s because you’ll have your head above water most of the time. Check out this link to read more about the breast stroke.

The downside is, you’ve got to have access to a good size pool. Swimming in a kiddie pool just won’t do it!

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