It would be hard to find a more therapeutic and effective form of exercise than swimming. The benefits to health are both physical and mental. The medical profession has long recognised the benefits of swimming for good health. This is best achieved by regular exercise. One very good reason for choosing swimming as the preferred form of exercise is that unlike high impact work such as jogging, water makes the body almost weightless, allowing movement to be much easier.
Swimming creates muscle tone, helps suppleness and promotes proper breathing.
At the same time, the submerged body is being gently massaged by the water. Many people would justify pool ownership on the grounds that swimming is not just physically beneficial but spiritually uplifting. Perhaps on an unconscious level, there is something deeply satisfying in returning even briefly to the medium from which we evolved all those millions of years ago. On a more conscious level, some would see swimming as having a sacramental value - in biblical times and subsequently, baptism involving imersion in water has symbolised a cleansing of the spirit and a new beginning. According to pool builders, most serious enquiries for new pools come from professional people, top businessmen and self-made entrepreneurs.