Sport

When I was a little boy, I was very timid and emaciated.  My mother an assortment of medicines to help me out of this condition but all of her efforts was in vain.  One day, she brought me to a swimming pool and registered me in a swimming class.  I still remember the first time I went to that swimming class.  The instructor told me to jump in to the pool, but I was too scared of the water to jump into it and although he attached buoys around my body I was still hesitant. 
I was shocked when the next thing I realized was that the instructor threw me in the pool.  It was an unforgettable startled expression in my life.  A few seconds, I got calm little by little.  I suddenly recognized that I was float in the water.  After some movements by arms and legs, I moved myself a distance about ten meters, which made me so interested.  My instructor then dived into the pool and taught me some basic steps for a beginning swimmer.  After two hours of practicing swimming, I felt hungry and ate a lot.  After the course, I gained weight as well as height. From then on, I concerned swimming as my main exercise everyday and that is why swimming is my favorite sport.
Swimming helps me keep in shape. When I swim, energy which is a main element to control my body weight is burned constantly a lot. According to swimming experts, approximately 790 calories is burned for swimming one hour.  Although in the water, I do not have a feeling of perspiration but actually, I perspire a lot because when in swimming, I use my whole body to generate power to keep my body afloat in the water.  All parts combine together to move my body forward as fast as I can.  Therefore, all limbs are massaged by the current of water.  That burns the unnecessary fat under the skin. I swim four kinds of strokes such as butterfly, freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke.  Different kinds of muscles develop depending on the swimming stroke that I use.  Butterfly develops muscles of shoulders, chest, and abdomen.  Freestyle and backstroke develop muscles of shoulders, arms, and legs.  In addition, breaststroke develops muscles of upper arms and thighs.  Any combination of these four kinds gives me a well-proportioned body.
Swimming gives one a complete body workout.  It benefits the cardiovascular system without straining ones heart and improves a persons use of oxygen.  The timed breathing required in swimming conditions the body and allows a person to improve not only his endurance but also a persons lung capacity.  Swimming is also a perfect complement for cross-training workouts.  As a person who swims becomes more fit, the resting heart rate and respiratory rate is reduced thus allowing for more blood to flow into the heart and making the lungs more efficient.  Since swimming gives a complete body workout, it also allows one to burn calories faster than in any other sport.  A runner, on average, burns as many calories on a six mile run in one hour as a swimmer who was been swimming for one hour has burned.  Swimming not only develops ones body but also helps people lose weight fast.
Swimming is not only great exercise but it is also an entertaining activity.  It is fun for not only individuals but for groups as well and makes it easier for people who want to get in shape keep up their routine without getting bored.  From a psychological perspective, swimming allows people to relax and swim with very little effort.  When a swimmer gets into the rhythm of swimming and allows the mind to focus on the stroke, it is similar to a form of meditation that provides the body with an overall feeling of general well being.  Studies have shown that people who swim in the mornings or begin their days by swimming are more likely to have more energy for the rest of the day and are less likely to feel stressed or pressured.  Swimming does not only give a person the psychological feeling of well being but also helps in other aspects such as the development of certain life skills namely sportsmanship, time-management, self-discipline, goal-setting, and an increased sense of self-worth through their participation in the sport.
Swimming is not simply the perfect exercise but it is also a wonderful lifestyle.  It reduces stress and helps one become more physically fit.  The added benefits such as social interaction and mental discipline are also what help make swimming the great physical activity that it is.  This is why I have always felt that swimming is the best exercise and activity that anyone can do because it is good for the body and also good for the mind.