Will Swimming Improve Posture?

A bad posture can lead to serious effects, like chronic back pain, headaches, and stiffness. That’s why you need to improve your posture now or you’ll suffer later.

There are many ways to improve a bad posture. One way is swimming. 

But how will swimming improve posture?

Before we get into that, let’s first talk about the muscles you can develop when swimming.

When you choose to swim regularly, you’ll develop your core abdominal and lower back muscles. They are vital in keeping your body steady when you’re in streamlined positions.

This is a full-body workout that affects your deltoid and shoulder muscles. Throughout the swimming strokes, you’ll develop your upper back muscles that can help in stabilizing your shoulders.

How Will Swimming Improve Posture? 

A slouched posture is often a result of spending more time in front of the computer. A bad posture can have a lot of side effects, including back pain.

But you can remedy it by swimming regularly. Swimming is known to strengthen your core stability.

It’s a great side effect of swimming that can help you attain a better posture.

As mentioned, this full-body workout affects a variety of muscles. You’re using upper body muscles so you can pull yourself forward.

The leg muscles will support your movement in the water. They can also maintain your momentum while in the water.

If you’re into breaststroke, you’ll develop your guts and quadriceps muscles. During this stroke, your core will work hard so your body remains in the streamlined position in the water.

As you work your different muscles in the water, you’re increasing your flexibility and strength. It will help in combatting stiffness in your back.

When you focus on your core, you’re improving your back health by stabilizing your spine. It leads to improving your posture out of the pool.

How to Take Advantage of Swimming in Helping You Improve Your Bad Posture?

Anyone can benefit from this activity. But no matter how beneficial swimming is, you still have to take it slow.

It may offer various health benefits but if you overdo it, swimming can cause more harm than good.

That said, try not to move faster in the water. Moving faster will only leave you out of breath. Always start slow.

And if you’re just starting to swim, you have to go slower. Use a kickboard at first. It helps in gaining confidence in the water.

Make sure that you have a coach who can teach you the basics of swimming.

Having a coach will also show you how to properly swim to avoid injuries.

Keep in mind that swimming can cause injury if you’re not careful. And if you get injured, it’ll even cause you to slouch more often, leading to bad posture.

Use the Right Gear 

When your core isn’t that strong, your lower back may sink while you’re swimming. While swimming, you can support your neck movements by keeping your back parallel to the pool’s floor.

This will surely assist you in avoiding injuries.

Make yourself comfortable having your head closer to the water by using a set of goggles.

Don’t Do High-Impact Strokes 

Swimming can be a low-impact exercise. But some strokes cause too much stress in your body. That’s why they’re left to the professionals.

In that case, you must avoid butterfly stroke. If you have a bad back, you may want to scratch it off your list. Do it some other time when your back is okay.

Keep in mind that harsh movements will make you prone to injury. In that case, you need to stick to swimming strokes that you’re comfortable with.

Use Variety of Movements 

Swimming can be a perfect exercise to improve your posture. But if you wish to maximize its benefits, you need to do a variety of movements.

This will help in giving your body a balanced workout. It’ll also help you improve your flexibility while strengthening your core.

Backstroke, for instance, is great for your back pain and posture, but too much of it can cause disc pain in the spine.

Breaststroke, on the other hand, can build muscles in your shoulders. It can lead to a healthier spine.

Instead of focusing only on backstroke, make sure that you alternate backstroke and breaststroke.

Always vary your strokes while you’re in the pool. And make sure that you’re not going too fast.

If you’re aching, slow down your movement. Keep in mind that getting injured can cause you to slouch more.

Thus, make it easier and slower.

But swimming alone won’t help your posture. You need to practice good posture every time.

Although swimming is great at strengthening your core muscles, it may not be enough to restore your good posture.

In addition to swimming, you should also wear a posture corrector. It’ll help you maintain proper posture while out of the pool.

A posture corrector will be there to remind your muscles to be in the proper position. Wear it for at least 20 minutes every day and you’ll notice improvement for the next few weeks.

It means that even if you don’t wear the corrector, your posture is still upright. That’s because the muscles have been trained.

Then again, you need to continue this good habit.

That is, you must practice proper posture every day and strengthen your core muscles by doing physical activities, like swimming.

You must also pair swimming with other exercises that are good for your posture. These would include yoga.

And avoid slouching while you’re facing your computer. Follow the 20/20 rule.

If you’re not into swimming, though, you can strengthen your core muscles through resistance training. No, I’m not talking of dumbbells. Instead, I’m referring to resistance band exercises.

Conclusion 

Will swimming improve posture? Yes, it will. But you must do it right and do it slowly. Never overdo it. Else, you’ll suffer more back pain which will worsen your posture.

Choose to wear a posture corrector every day to maintain the effects of swimming. Shop for posture correctors at All Fitness and Beauty.