Most people know that swimming helps you to improve heart rate and blood flow and maintain a healthy weight. What most people don’t know are the little benefits of swimming that separate it from other forms of exercise.

Swimming not only helps with general physical fitness, but it encompasses a host of other benefits such as muscle toning, breath control, and meditative qualities. With so many peripheral benefits in one workout, you can kill two birds (or should I say five birds!) with one stone. Here are the less known benefits of swimming: