Researchers in Maharashtra, India have indicated that the best methods to boost your lung power and improve your cardiovascular fitness are yoga or swimming.
Both are great alternatives to more common exercises. Both put low levels of impact on joints. Swimming can improve muscular strength, along with boosting lung function. And, yoga is good for your body and soul, as it helps people relax, reduce stress, and even stave off depression.
For their study, the Indian researchers noted that there is still debate over what’s the best type of exercise to get the most health benefits. The researchers decided not just to determine which exercise had the most health benefits, but also which ones were easy to perform and had the lowest risk for injury.
The researchers recruited 100 volunteers, and divided them into two groups—one group underwent 12 weeks of training in yoga exercises, while the other group performed swimming exercises.
When yoga was compared with swimming, all measures showed statistically significant improvements. However, study results gave a slight edge to swimming as a preferred form of exercise. The researchers were quick to defend yoga, however, saying that both yoga and swimming can be advocated as an exercise prescription, as both cause significant improvements in respiratory health.
Both yoga and swimming have proven health benefits, and neither causes undue strain on joints.
Sources for Today’s Articles:
Two Kinds of Exercise that Help the Most
Gupta, S.S., et al., “A comparative study of the effects of yoga and swimming on pulmonary functions in sedentary subjects,” Int J Yoga July 2012; 5(2): 128-33.