It is Legit - Swimming Keeps You Alive

As an avid swimmer who suffers withdrawal symptoms if more than a day passes without swimming, it is good to know you might actually be doing the right thing.

Afterall, you need to do crosswords, play scrabble learn something new or similar activities to keep the brain functioning [ how topical - In Australia today a lot of talk about oldies with Alzheimers Disease - and more coming to a place near you too!] but exercise is also useful to keep the body functioning - whether old or young.

I attach some recent pronouncements about the role of swimming to keep you fit AND alive.......yes, it lowers mortality rates!

So all you folks.......get with it. However, I do find it still difficult to do the crossword in the newspaper while I am swimming.
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A NEW study shows that swimming cuts men’s risk of dying by about 50% compared to runners, walkers and sedentary peers.

The University of South Carolina study led by Dr Steven Blair evaluated comprehensive physical exams and behavioural surveys from thousands of people who were enrolled in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal study (ACLS) over the last 32 years.

The results were presented in the 2008 World Aquatic Health Conference in Colorado Springs, USA, last month and have been published in the International Journal of Aquatic Education and Research.“Swimmers had the lowest death rate,” explains Dr Blair.

He also adds that the study takes into account the age, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol intake, hypertension, other medical factors and family history.“This is the first report that examined mortality rates among swimmers in comparison with other types of physical activity and sedentary lifestyle.

We conclude that men who swim for exercise have better survival rates than their sedentary peers,” summarises Dr Blair.

The ACLS includes extensive medical and physical activity data on more than 40,000 men aged 29 to 90. “These lower rates in swimmers compared with walkers and sedentary men might well be expected,” comments Dr Blair, “but it is surprising that we also observed lower mortality in swimmers than in runners,” he adds. “Therefore swimming appears to be a healthful alternative to other types of physical activity.”The study population was limited to white, well educated middle to upper class men.

While this limits the general cover of the study, it should not affect the study’s internal validity, advises Blair. He explains that, “there is no compelling reason to assume that the benefits of swimming would be different for women or for men from other socio-economic groups.

In an earlier study in this same population we found that both women and men had similar benefits from swimming in terms of fitness and other health indicators.”Dr Blair concludes that “Swimming provides a healthful alternative to traditional modes of exercise for improving cardiorespiratory fitness and health for the general population, as well as for patients suffering from chronic diseases.
Swimming may be a good alternative exercise for individuals who cannot participate in running or other forms of physical activity.”

NOW.......all you runners note that, and remember what happened to Jim Fixx!!!