The following Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson

and is narrated by Tina Lehman.

Twelve reasons why swimming is an essential primal skill. In the U.S., summer is upon us, and it's damn hot.

To keep cool and to get in a good stretch after lifting, I've been putting in a few laps a few times a week.

As a triathlete, my most hated leg of the race was swimming.

I hated being in cold water. I wasn't the strongest

swimmer, so it was physically the toughest part. But in recent years, I've come to embrace my time

in the pool, at least as a post-workout stretch. Maybe it's because my cold tolerance has gone up.

Maybe it's that I'm no longer swimming miles at a time, instead doing dramatically shorter

swims. Maybe it's because I do it for pleasure rather than training for one of the world's

most grueling events. All I know is that those few laps every week have worked out nicely. But for you

water lovers out there, there's a whole host of benefits that swimming has to offer.

So if you're suffering from the summer heat and looking for a great way to cool down while getting in a pretty extensive workout,

swimming should be toward the top of your list.

So what are some of the benefits you have to look forward to?

One. Swimming is tradition. Swimming is one of the most you have to look forward to. One. Swimming is tradition.

Swimming is one of the most primal skills.

All throughout human history and prehistory, people have settled in and around bodies of water.

Rivers, lakes, and seas had the best food, the most important nutrients for building bigger and better brains, and we

had to be able to handle ourselves in the water if we wanted to obtain those vital resources.

Some populations have even developed physiological adaptations to a life in the water, like

improved underwater eyesight.

...