Swimming can be enormously life-changing, especially if you do it continuously throughout the week. However, being college students, we know that a perfect schedule does not exist, but a good one can require having long breaks. Some students like to spend that time watching their shows or just taking a nap, but what if you use that time productively?

Swimming can be a perfect breaktime-fulfilling activity, especially at Eastern Michigan University. There is an amazing gym on campus which is home to an Olympic-sized 50M pool, also known as Jones Pool, with spring (1M and 3M) and platform (5M, 7M and 10M) diving boards. EMU REC/IM is also home to another smaller pool called the Club Pool. This means that swimming on your breaks wouldn’t require taking a ride or paying more for gas! Just walk for 10-20 mins as a warming exercise, and you are there!

In addition, swimming may be your ticket to having a healthy body and soul, no matter your age. Not only can it give you a full-body workout, but it also helps those who are coping with depression by releasing feel-good endorphins that trigger positive feelings.

To start, regular swimming can be a good way to strengthen your lungs. In fact, a study by the National Library of Medicine tells us that swimming has an edge over yoga when it comes to improving lung function. This is because swimming is able to increase the muscle elasticity of the lungs and the chest.

Moreover, because swimming supports almost 90% of your weight, it’s the perfect kind of exercise for those with joint pain caused by arthritis, for example. This means that regular swimming can help you to lessen the risk of worsening arthritis by giving your muscles regular exercise and helping to keep the muscles around your joints strong. Also, if you are someone who suffers from chronic back pain such as sciatica, then swimming can build your back muscles and serve as pain relief since the weight is taken off your body in the water.

Even if you are a student that suffers from bad sleep habits, swimming can help! Swimming does wonders for your mind and sleep. In a study done by Sleep Foundation, it was found that swimming is one of the key exercises that helps insomnia.

To wrap up, swimming seems like a good way to spend your break time on campus and make your body healthier. Why not?

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