IMAGINE FINDING OUT that chocolate cake is the ideal health food. OK, that’s not true. But it is true that something you might only associate with vacations, leisure time and sheer fun is one of the best exercises around. We’re talking about swimming and other aquatic exercises.
Working out while all or partially submerged in water has multiple benefits for both the mind and the body and can be done by almost anyone of any age and at any fitness level. A 30-year observational study at the University of South Carolina found that swimmers had about half the risk of death from any cause over the course of the study compared to participants who were runners, walkers or sedentary.
And you don’t have to do the crawl, breast stroke, side stroke or even the dog paddle to get benefits. Water aerobics, pool walking and water workouts with weights are also great ways to get in shape. Journalist Jackie Duda even credits her pool workouts with giving her back her health and independence after a near-death experience.
A New Lease on Life
Denne historien er fra June 2024-utgaven av Reader's Digest India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra June 2024-utgaven av Reader's Digest India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
ME & MY SHELF
Chitra Divakaruni is the author of 23 books including The Forest of Enchantment, Mistress of Spices and Palace of Illusions. Her latest book is An Uncommon Love: The Early Life of Sudha and Narayan Murthy.
RD RECOMMENDS-BOOKS
Hanuman Chalisa and More
Who's Getting Colon Cancer
With rates rising among younger people, testing should start sooner
25 Lessons That Last A Lifetime
Suggestions about life are a little like lottery tickets: You may collect a lot of them, but they rarely pay off. Yet if you are truly lucky, you receive a few words of wisdom that inspire you forever. That's called hitting the jackpot
A Symphony Of Irritation
In the 2022 film Tár, Cate Blanchett played a conductor who was affected by misophonia—an acute sensitivity to certain sounds. For Lydia Tár, Blanchett’s character, the clicking of a pen or the beat of a metronome was enough to drive her to distraction.
Is Poverty Alleviation Truly Possible?
We ask economist and Nobel laureate Esther Duflo
The Alpha Dog
To rescue lost animals, she climbs into places most of us avoid
Let's Say Yes!
What started out as a way to get my son to try new foods opened up a world of adventure for my family
Hey Dad, Can You Help Me Return the Picasso I Stole?
A painting went missing in 1969, then turned up at a museums doorstep. No one knew how or why—until now
Band of Survivors
Armed with his drum kit, a Holocaust survivor fights anti-Semitism one musical note at a time
