3 reasons to start swimming if you're over 50 - and all the kit you'll need

3 reasons to start swimming if you're over 50 - and all the kit you'll need Features (Image credit: Jacob Lund / Shutterstock) (Image credit: Shokz) Katie Sims published Swim to stay strong, mobile and heart-healthy The corner of the TechRadar site that swaps processors for press-ups, The Fit List is our regular series of fitness listicles. We explore how to use technology to improve your health, all in handy bite-size pieces of advice. You can read the whole series here . Staying active becomes even more important as we get older, but not every form of exercise is kind to your joints. That’s where swimming really comes into its own. Whether you’re easing back into fitness or looking for a routine you can stick with long-term, swimming offers one of the most joint-friendly, full-body workouts you can do after the age of 50. And if you want to bring some smart features to the pool or the open water, swimming-ready gadgetscan enhance your sessions - from the best swimming headphones for in-water motivation, to the best swimming watches for tracking laps, heart rate and distance. Because the water supports most of your body weight, it takes pressure off your joints while your muscles and heart still get a great workout. It’s a rare combination: low impact, but high reward. Regular swimming boosts strength, mobility and cardiovascular health - all key factors in healthy aging and staying independent for longer. Here are three reasons swimming is one of the smartest fitness moves you can make after 50. 1. Swimming is friendly on the joints Unlike other popular forms of cardiovascular exercise such as running, swimming puts very little stress on our joints, which is why so many people in their 50s and beyond benefit from taking it up. When you’re in the water, buoyancy supports most of your body weight, which means less pressure on your knees, hips, and spine compared to when you’re working out on land. One study found that regular swimming can help with osteoarthritis in the knees, for example. That reduced load doesn’t mean you’re taking it easy, though. Your muscles still have to work against the natural resistance of the water, helping you build strength while keeping your joints comfortable. For many people over 50, that balance - gentle on the body, but still physically challenging - makes swimming one of the most sustainable ways to stay active. 2. Swimming builds full-body strength When we swim, we engage major muscle groups with every stroke - back, core, arms, chest, legs - while the water provides constant resistance. You’re pulling and pushing your own body weight through the water, developing your muscles in the same way as you would lifting a weight. That makes it a highly effective way to build and maintain strength, which becomes especially important after 50 as muscle mass naturally declines. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Because the resistance is smooth and controlled, swimming strengthens...

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