Why Do We Do Swimming?

By Daniela Escobar

The questions my clients ask me sometimes are the greatest inspiration for me to write about. Recently, one of my clients asked: “Why do we have to do swimming?” Of course, the question came about because she strongly disliked the exercise. 

You see… We tend not to like the exercises that are hard for us and if it was our decision, we would probably never do them. However, most of the time, those exercises are the ones we really need. 

Swimming is nothing more than a back extension exercise where you are required to arch your back, just like swan, rocking, etc, the ones that we do lying down on our stomach, also known as prone position. Those exercises involve the whole back of the body and they not only stabilize the spine but also promote good posture.

Now let’s go off on a tangent so I can make a point here. I remember when I had my son, one of the most important things the pediatrician told me to do when I took him home was “tummy time”. Tummy time means you put the baby on his/her stomach so they can develop the strength in the back of the body over time, and it’s vital to help the baby stand up eventually. Human beings are able to walk on two legs mostly because of back strength. 

Ok, back to swimming. As we age, gravity starts pulling down on us, and because everything we do is in front of us, not behind, with time, the back of our bodies begin to get weak. There comes the importance of all the back extensions we do in Pilates. Not only do these exercises stretch the front of the body, but they create strength in the back and contribute to good posture and no slouching. 

So next time you do swimming, even though it takes a lot of effort, just think about the benefits of it and how it’s making you stronger. And ultimately, that’s the reason we all do Pilates, besides being fun!