14 Reasons for a Beach Vacation
By Justin Vict
Take the plunge for all these health
benefits:
1. Feel Refreshed—Beach
mist is filled with an abundance of anions (negative ions), which boost the
immune system, facilitate oxygen absorption in the lungs, and relieve stress
and depression by regulating serotonin levels in the brain. These anions also
act as antioxidants, cancelling out free radicals and thus increasing longevity
and preserving youthful looks.
2. Breathe Easier—Because
gusts bring beach air to shore from the ocean, it tends to be clean and
pollen-free. Sea air is also a natural nasal saline spray, clearing your
respiratory passageways of allergens and pollutants. In fact, experts find that
those who live by the beach and regularly swim in seawater tend to have
healthier respiratory systems. If you have allergies, asthma, sinusitis, or
bronchitis, swimming at the beach will naturally help flush out phlegm.
3. Exfoliate—Your first step onto
the beach begins to naturally exfoliate your feet. Now lie down and get a free,
full-body exfoliation by gently scrubbing beach sand all over.
4. Repair Skin Damage—Swimming
in seawater opens your pores while sea salts (potassium chloride and sodium
chloride) naturally seal any damaged skin. Regular swimming at the beach has
been shown to relieve eczema, psoriasis, and rashes, as well as to shrink
pimples and facilitate the healing of cuts and scrapes.
5. Ease Pain—A plunge into cool
water activates cold sensors positioned about 0.2 mm beneath your skin, which
then trigger adrenaline and endorphin surges, thereby instantly dulling pain
and invigorating you. Long term, bathing in seawater has anti-inflammatory
effects that ease arthritis as well as your other aches and pains.
6. Moisturize—One study found that
dry-skin sufferers experienced significant hydration after a 15-minute soak in
seawater, but no benefit from a similar soak in tap water. (Note: One big
difference is salt water’s magnesium, which helps boost the glow of moist
skin.)
7. Replenish Minerals—Seawater’s
chemical makeup is similar to blood plasma. (After all, all life originated in
the ocean!) Simply wading in seawater helps replenishes your blood with
magnesium, iodine, potassium, sodium, calcium, and other minerals and amino
acids, which enter through your pores.
8. Beat Stress—Magnesium has also been
shown to relieve anxiousness and irritability and to induce calmness. Beach
swimming not only replenishes magnesium, it also preserves your melatonin
(involved in sleep regulation) and tryptamine. In bringing all these
neurotransmitters up to healthy levels, swimming in seawater relieves stress,
relaxes muscles, and helps cure insomnia.
9. Build Resilience—The
more frequently you expose yourself to cool seawater, the less your heart and
breathing rates will increase during physiological stress, ultimately making
your body more resilient.
10. Improve Cardio—When
you enter cool water, your body quickly moves your blood from your extremities
to concentrate it around your inner organs. Then, after your body heats up from
swimming, your body moves your blood back around your extremities to prevent
overheating. This super-cardio training will help keep you warm all winter.
11. Detox—When your blood rushes
from your extremities to your organs and back again, the cycle flushes out
toxins through your pores.
12. Boost Immunity—Studies
show that, first, beach swimming increases white blood cell count over time.
The theory is that the cold seawater acts as a mild stressor, like a workout
for your immune system. Second, like breathing in beach mist, iodine enters
your skin’s pores from seawater while swimming, further strengthening your
immune system via enhanced thyroid regulation.
13. Lose Weight—Cool-water workouts can
burn twice the calories of warmer pool swims, because you burn energy to keep
warm.
14. Feel Sexier—Routinely exposing yourself to cold seawater
increases testosterone levels in men and estrogen levels in women. Your libido
will increase, your fertility will improve, and you’ll feel better all over.
~ From, www.spiritualityhealth.com / 2016
March/April Issue
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