What’s The Best Type Of Exercise? Is Swimming The Best Exercise? Is Walking The Best Exercise? Are There Unique Benefits To Each Type?

“Should I take up walking or swimming?”. I hear some people say that walking is the best type of exercise. Other people may say the same for swimming. Are they both equally beneficial? Are there unique distinctions between them? 

First and foremost, I am going to share with you a secret to obtaining benefits from exercise. The secret to benefitting from exercise is practice and consistency! The type of exercise that you stick with, do regularly, and improve at will give you the greatest long term benefits. 

The short answer to this dilemma between walking and swimming is to pick one that seems the most enjoyable and convenient. 

The long answer probes deeper into the distinguishing features of each type of exercise and how they may uniquely benefit you. 

Considered features of Walking and Swimming

1. Orientation in Space

2. Cardio-Respiratory Training

3. Range of Motion

4. Open to all ages and Accessible to learn 

5. Low Impact 

6. Muscular Strength

7. Cognition 

8. Fresh air and Sun

9. Balance 

Orientation in space

A major difference between walking and swimming is their orientation in space and environment. Walking is done upright on a grounded surface while swimming is done in the buoyant suspension of water.

While you can swim vertically up and down to different depths, the most common swim practice for exercise is done moving in a horizontal orientation as seen in the swim styles freestyle and backstroke. This distinction between walking and swimming creates significant differences which will be discussed throughout this piece. 

Cardio-respiratory Training

One common feature is that both walking and swimming are types of exercise that can be used for cardio-respiratory training; both use the major muscle groups of the body in repetitive continuous movement to tone the cardio, vascular, and respiratory system.

They both are great ways to tone up your heart and lungs to work more efficiently. By swimming or walking for 5 minutes to an hour or longer, you train the aerobic metabolic pathways in your body, helping to make the body more efficient at using and producing energy.

You can also use these types of exercise to do anaerobic training by performing these movements in short powerful bursts as a type of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). This trains the body to perform in a more explosive manner where you are maximizing the bodies work and energy output in a shorter period of time. As a side note, there are many other unique benefits for aerobic and anaerobic training that I will cover in another post. 

Range of Motion

Both swimming and walking incorporate all the major joints of the body, using the arms and legs to propel the body in movement. The repetitive movement provides an ongoing oscillation of  contraction and then lengthening of the bodies major muscles which helps to maintain and improve range of motion in the joints.

These types of exercises will not give you the leg range of motion of a ballet dancer or gymnast.

However they will help to counteract much of the muscular tension and postural distortions created by a sedentary lifestyle. Swimming and walking help to open up the hips, spine, ribcage and shoulders.

While walking is great for the shoulders it does not take the shoulder joint through its full range of motion as seen in swim strokes like freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly.

Nevertheless both types of exercise are great for improving movement in the major joints of the body.

Open to all ages and Accessible to learn 

The great thing about swimming and walking is they are relatively easy movements to learn.

This is in contrast to more complicated styles of exercise with higher learning curves such as ballet, karate, yoga, or basketball.

Walking and swimming are also accessible for people across the age spectrum as opposed to other types of exercise like parkour, gymnastics, cross fit, or mountain biking which tend to better suit teenagers and young to middle age adults.

The great thing about walking and swimming is that whatever age you start these activities, there is a good chance you will be able to sustain these activities for most of your life. 

On the topic of accessibility, in particular regarding context and environment, it is important to point out that while walking can be done anywhere, swimming is limited to a body of water whether it is a home swimming pool, gym or park pool, lake, river, or ocean. Therefore in this instance, walking has a more universal ease of access than does swimming.

Low Impact 

Both forms of exercise are low impact which is great for seniors or anyone working with arthritis, osteoporosis, or joint issues. 

Since swimming is done in the buoyancy of water, the force of gravity on your spine is diminished which may provide significant relief for anyone experiencing back pain or spinal issues. As a swimming tip for anyone with neck or low back discomfort, wearing a snorkel mask will eliminate the need to rotate the neck for breathing which can help to reduce twisting forces on the neck and help to maintain a neutral lower spine. 

While swimming and walking are often done for the low-impact effect they have on the body it is significant to note that impact is not negative and in fact has a benefit to the body. Exercises that involve impact helps to re-enforce bone density which can help to prevent osteoporosis. While osteoporosis warrants precaution from certain types of exercise, in the long run it is essential to engage in movements that re-enforces the density of bones to prevent or help to treat osteoporosis. Walking is done upright and involves some impact with the ground’s surface which helps to re-enforce bone density in ways that is lacking in swimming. Walking helps to re-enforce bone density in the thigh bone and hip though its effects are not as significant as high impact exercise such as running or jumping. For now, I will keep this discussion on bone density to a minimum though a great tip for bone health is that full body strength training is extremely beneficial to improve bone density. I will discuss this topic more in depth in a future post. 

Muscular Strength

Both walking and swimming will tone and improve strength in the entire muscular system of the body. 

Walking places more focus on the lower body while swimming equally works the upper and lower body, with slight variations depending on the swim stroke being used. While you will not build the physique of a body builder exclusively from walking or swimming, they both are great ways to strengthen and tone up the entire body. 

Cognition 

Both swimming and walking are great for the brain and nervous system because they involve complex coordination of the entire body.

While the movements are relatively easy to learn, they are built on coordination that involves the opposite arm and leg. This type of full-body neuro-muscular coordination provides great stimulation to the brain and nervous system.

This is in contrast to isolated movements like doing a one arm seated bicep curl which uses much less of the bodies neuro-muscular system to produce the movement.

When walking is done outside, not on a treadmill or manicured walking trail, there are additional benefits to cognitions and the nervous system due to the problem solving required to maneuver cracks, uneven terrain, evade pedestrians and vehicles, and to cross streets.

Since most swimming is done within a pool, and often times in a confined lane it is largely devoid of the problem solving opportunities present in outdoor walking.

The one exception would be swimming in natural lakes, rivers, or in the ocean where there are less predictable factors present such as a current, tide, and floating and moving objects to maneuver. 

Fresh air and Sun

If you are able to swim outside or walk outside you get the additional benefit of sunlight and outdoor air. This can be especially useful if you spend much of the day working indoors. 

Balance 

Walking is an excellent exercise to strengthen the bodies balance system. In contrast, since swimming is based upon the suspension of the body in water, it does not re-enforce the balancing mechanisms in the body that start with the feet and activate muscles upward through the legs, hips, spine, neck, and skull. These balance mechanism become very important to maintain as we get older to help prevent falls. If there is difficulty walking, a good solutions is to incorporate some pool walking before or after a swim. Walking in the pool lets you practice moving the body in an upright position that is safe, supported, and allows the body to establish a connection between the feet and the surface of the ground below. 

Conclusion:

To conclude, both walking and swimming are excellent forms of exercise that can be done at any age. Each type of exercise has its own unique benefits. I will not state one form of exercise as being better or superior than the other. May all the information provided help you make a personal decision of your own. Consider how the distinguishing features of either may benefit you and your body uniquely. And pick one that you enjoy doing and will inspire you to return for more! Or even better, incorporate both if that interests you. May you walk or swim your way to wellness!

For any questions about walking or swimming contact me at KaiBodyMindwellness.com

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