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History of Swimming

Decent Essays

Swimming was invented

before recorded history. Humans discovered how to swim

by accident. A person probably fell into the water and

struggled to shore using a dog-paddle stroke. There was an

Egyptian hieroglyph for swimming dating from 2500 BC.

The ancient Greeks and Romans made swimming an

important part of their military training programs. There

have been known swimming contests that were organized

in Japan as early as the 1st century BC. During the Middle

Ages in Europe, swimming declined in popularity. People

felt that the water was contaminated and a source of

disease. Not everyone feared the water, however, Louis

XI reportedly swam daily in the Seine. During the early

19th century, swimming …show more content…

However,

only 5% of those who swim do so at an aerobic pace.

Although few doubt the aerobic benefits of swimming,

studies comparing swimming with jogging, results found that

swimmers lost less body fat than joggers. Apparently

swimming causes an adjustment in how energy is burned,

resulting in the burning of more carbohydrates than body

fat. One reason might be that swimmers retain more body

fat to insulate and maintain body heat.

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