犬掻き ― dog paddle

今週のテーマ： 海水浴、プール

全身運動として、スポーツの中でもとりわけ健康なものとして取り上げられることが多い水泳ですが、マラソンなどの他のスポーツと較べて死亡率が低いというリサーチがあるようです。

尤も、データに恣意的なところがあるという批判もあり、この手のリサーチは話半分で聞いておいたほうがよさそうですが、健康的なスポーツであることには違いないでしょう。



And though the study did classify the runners and walkers by pace, it didn't specify swimming paces at all. I've spent a lot of time in pools, and believe me: Pace matters.

Some people dog paddle a bit and never get their hair wet, while others are dynamos — such as the 23-year-old guy who swam 50 yards (down and back in a normal pool) in 19.69 seconds at the recent U.S. Masters Nationals in Atlanta.

"The data are interesting because they look at different kinds of activities," says I-Min Lee, an epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health who also studies physical activity and health. "What is encouraging, though by no means definite, is that swimming may be more beneficial than other sports if that is supported by other data. There are so many things people can do. You can pick what you like. We're not forcing everybody to run or play tennis."
(Swimming with the fittest? Los Angels Times. July 19, 2010.)


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