Sup guys, Trace here. Thanks for watching DNews today. In High School, I was on the

track and cross country teams, but I was ALSO on the swim team. Running is exercise. Swimming

is too. They're both exercise, and they're both great in their own way. But, which is

BETTER? ITS TIME FOR A SCIENCE THROWDOWN.

Let's tackle the benefits: Running is easy, most people have two legs and can probably

walk and run -- if imperfectly. It’s great cardiovascular exercise. Running USA, the

major running and foot racing advocacy organization, says 30 million people took to the streets

at least 50 times per person in 2012. People who run or jog regularly, even for a 5 to

10 minutes a day are healthier than non-runners, and have a 45% lower cardiovascular mortality.

Running can build bone density and runners have later-onset age-related disability and

3 years added to their lives in comparison to non-runners.

Swimming has a little higher learning curve. You might have to take swimming lessons, for

one. But once you've gotten past that hurdle, the benefits are clear. Swimming is ALSO great

cardiovascular exercise. A 2008 peer-reviewed study in the International Journal of Aquatic

Research and Education followed over 40,000 men for 13 years and found lower mortality

rates than people who were sedentary, walkers, and runners. Resistance training is better

than pure cardio for building bone density and muscle; and swimming has resistance, if

small. In fact, the butterfly is considered the single most taxing movement in sports

-- it's more difficult than bicycling 14 miles per hour (23kph), or running a 10 minute mile.

Calories burned for either running or swimming vary depending on your weight and the difficulty

level. Though overall the journal of the American Statistical Association found swimmers will

burn 25 percent more calories, but runners can usually go for longer.

Running's biggest drawback is impact problems, right? It's an impact sport, my Dad always

said! Maybe not! A 21-year-long Stanford study of 1,000 runners and non-runners found joint

problems were found equally across both groups. Minimalist or barefoot running and thick running

shoes also battle within running culture, but in a comprehensive study of shoes versus

no shoes found the problem was people. If we're used to running with shoes, and try

barefoot we hurt ourselves; and the opposite is true too. So fight about if you want, but

if you do it right, the science seems to say they're both fine,. Long-distance intensive

running can cause health problems -- we've talked about it on DNews before..

Swimming has an obvious drawback; drowning. It does happen, though it's pretty damn rare.

Chlorine in swimming pools isn't great for your skin, but its there to kill disease-causing

contaminants. But kids’ over-exposure to chlorine can reduce testosterone and infant

over-exposure cause respiratory problems. This is after hundreds of hours in a pool

environment; so maybe not something everyone should be concerned about. It can also be

alleviated by swimming in a lake, ocean, or a saltwater pool.

It seems pretty much a tie to me. Overall, both swimming and running promote cardiovascular

health, as long as you don't overdo it, and you get the proper training. With both swimming

and running make sure you talk to someone about proper technique if you want to do it

right. Just because you can doesn't mean you know how to do it properly. So which do YOU

think is better? Why don't you tell us? I like both.

Exercise is hard, but so is Going Off Grid. It's not for everyone. Going off grid explores

the lives of those who choose a different path. This pro-snowboarder lives in a tiny

house in Northern California. The whole thing is only 225 square feet.