Swimming is probably the number 1 life skill that we all don’t do quite enough of - unless you’re Ross Edgley of course (see the guy who’s just swam around the UK).

But swimming can do a lot more for you than save your life in an emergency situation (like that wasn’t enough already) with a variety of health benefits. So instead of leaving you with that to go off and Google all by yourself, we’ve compiled a list of the 5 main key health benefits that swimming has on the human body.

1. Improved cardiovascular fitness

NUMBER ONE. Coming to likely absolutely nobodies surprise is the improved cardiovascular fitness that you’ll receive from flapping around a pool.

Doing lengths, laps or even swimming in the sea will all work towards the goal of that improve cardiovascular fitness level. That means a healthier heart, improved performance and even a lower resting heart rate, which can be a fun little party trick.

2. Improved strength and increase muscle mass

Ever heard the term ‘swimmers body’. I used to get it a lot - ‘ooooh, he looks like a swimmer him’ or ‘hasn’t he got a swimmers body’.

Spending that extra time in the water does your body wonders with a powerful back and boulder shoulders from intense pool workout sessions. You’ll not only see yourself get bigger, but your strokes will have more power and you’ll be able to push harder. That’s something that we can promise you.

3. Improved joints and mobility

As you should expect with any great form of cardiovascular exercise, joints and cartilage are expected to improve in mobility and health with the introduction of different exercises.

Swimming is particularly beneficial in the joint department due to the mobility required for long strokes while freely suspended in the water. Enough sessions in the bank at the local pool and you’ll start to feel like a brand new person.

4. Exercise without the sweat

They say that you can measure your effort with the amount of sweat produced during a workout. Well that can’t really be said for swimming (or at all if you look into the research), but for those of us that don’t like to sweat and get a little self conscious of a damp outfit - swimming might be for you.

Everyone’s in the same boat (ironically) when it comes to swimming, no-one is judged for being sweaty and everyone is free to paddle around at their own pace. There’s no stress, it’s a very refreshing form of exercise.

5. Improved mental wellbeing

Last but not least is the improved mental well being that swimming promotes. With the focus on breathing and moving the body in the right direction, mediation states can be achieved, perfect for the improvement of mental health.

It’s also been show that the human body becomes calmer around large bodies of water and that’s exactly where you’ll be when it comes time to exercise.