There is no better time to go in the sea than August; it’s late summer, the weather is fine and the ocean has heated up under the sun’s strongest rays. If that’s not enough to get you packing a beach towel, then consider this: swimming in the sea is one of the healthiest things you can do.
Our bodies have evolved for us to hunt and explore the sea by adjusting to take advantage of the properties of this unique ecosystem. So, from the cleansing salt to antibiotic microorganisms, here are four ways we naturally use the sea to benefit our health.
1. Immune System
Swimming in a pool is great, but not the acrid taste of chlorine you get afterwards. The much nicer equivalent you get after a swim in the sea is salty lips. Both of these result from how we naturally ingest some water when swimming, but it is believed that seawater not only gives you tingly lips, but a stronger immune system too.
Seawater contains mineral salt and microorganisms on a telescopic level. When seawater gets in our system, these things seem to offer antibiotic effects by boosting our immune system. Studies are being carried out on surfers, who ingest seawater on a consistent basis, to better understand how seawater does this so it can be harnessed in mainstream medicine.
2. Exercise
Anytime you jump in a body of water, your muscles are going to work overtime in propelling you through it. However, the waves present in even the calmest of seas provide a brilliant added difficulty to overcome. Their ebb and flow will provide added resistance for your muscles to push through and help increase heart-rate during swimming and your muscle growth after it. Throw in the endless space the sea provides and you might well swap your local pool for the local beach.
3. Boosts Circulation
For thousands of years people have sworn to the health benefits that seawater can provide. The Roman’s obsession with spas depict this as they believed natural salty water was good for mind, body and soul. Those who flock to the Dead Sea to bathe in its water are keeping the Roman tradition alive.
The positive effects are explained by the change in body temperature that being in seawater provides as well as the abundance of minerals in the water that get into our system. Both encourage blood circulation – the temperature increases heart rate and the minerals restore any to our body depleted from stress or poor diet.
4. Great for Skin
The saltiness of water is great for opening your pores and hydrating skin to leave it feeling refreshed. This can help reduce skin inflammation conditions such as eczema by alleviating redness and any itching. It does this by a key component in salt – magnesium – reacting with your skin to promote moisture.
