Swimming is an ideal exercise for people with injuries or joint problems. Since it is an aerobic exercise, swimming to lose weight assist in burning calories and toning trouble spots. Exercise is an important part of any weight loss program. Creating a calorie deficit is the most effective way for achieve lifelong weight control. To lose weight, one must burn more calories than they consume each day. An active swimming program can help people achieve that deficit.
Starting a Swimming Program
Doing laps in a swimming pool is the most effective exercise to perform. Lap swimming for an hour at an even pace burns an average of 500-800 calories — depending on the stroke and pace. To burn more calories, do the butterfly stroke, which according to the MayoClinic.com, burns 300 calories in 20 minutes. Freestyle swimmers can expect to shed between 200-250 calories every 20 minutes; the backstroke burns 160 calories in 20 minutes. Increasing the intensity will up the calories burned, as will variety. Try doing a different stroke every 20 minutes for an hour of exercise. It is important to consult a doctor before beginning any fitness program to ensure you are healthy enough to exercise. If you cannot swim for one hour, swim for as long as possible and build up to an hour as your strength and stamina improve.
Swimming vs. Regular Aerobics
As discussed, the higher intensity one works out at — the more calories are burned. Swimming laps at a moderate to high rate will shed more calories than walking, spinning or doing an average gym aerobics class. Swimming to lose fat is on the same level as cross-country skiing, mountain hiking and rollerblading. The only more intense calorie burners are running and stair climbing.
Heart Healthy
Swimming allows for a variety of benefits. People who exercise regularly are less likely to develop heart disease, stroke and diabetes according to the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC recommends exercising at a moderate intensity at least five times a week. Studies have shown that people who participate in a fitness program have fewer issues with mood disorders, insomnia and mental fogginess. In addition, since exercising in the pool is joint-friendly — it does not put stress on knees or ankles. For people with disorders such as arthritis and osteoporosis — lap swimming is a perfect exercise.
Trim and Tone
Swimming can help tone and tighten the entire body — as it is a full body effort to do laps in a pool. Swimming involves the arms, shoulders, core, hip adductors and abductors and the legs. To focus on one area of the body, there are many options. To tone the arms, a swimmer can purchase and wear swimming gloves. These are weighted gloves your wear while you swim laps. They come in various weights. Wearing them will tone your biceps, triceps and shoulder girdle. People should start out with a low weight of 1 to 2 pounds, and increase as they become stronger.
Kick Boards
People looking to tone their buttocks, hamstrings and thighs can enlist the aid of a kick board. Get in the pool and lie on the kick board. You want it positioned under your core, so your upper body is slightly off the front of the board. Let your arms dangle and only use your legs to move yourself across the pool. This is a very effective exercise to tone the bottom half of the body. In reverse, one can use the kickboard to strengthen the arms by lying on the board, letting the legs dangle and only using the arms to move you across the pool.
The Hang Ten
An exercise called “the hang ten,” tones abdominals and the arms. Go to the deep end of the pool and rest fingers gently on the top of the pool frame — out of the water. Push yourself upwards, performing almost a modified push up as you kick your legs. Hold yourself with your arms straight for at least 30 seconds, this will provide an isometric exercise for your arms. Rest and repeat for at least 20 repetitions. Another isometric arm workout is to rest in the shallow end of the pool and allow your arms to float to the top of the pool. It may seem like you are not doing anything but the water provides a gentle resistance which can create long, lean muscles.
Swimming can be an excellent addition to any fitness routine. People choosing this exercise should be good swimmers who are not afraid of the water. Protect eyes and hair from chlorinated water by wearing swim goggles and a swim cap. Lap swimming is an aerobic effort, aim to wear non-baggy clothing that will not weight you down in the water. Women should wear a tight-fitting one piece bathing suit. Men should stick to well-fitting swim trunks that are slightly snug. Never swim alone. If you experience cramping, exit the pool immediately.
Adam
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Thank you, Creative Bioscience! I have always found most forms of exercise to not only be exhausting and rough on the body, but almost always boring as well. You have given me an alternative that I already love. Swimming has always been one of my favorite activities and to know the amount of calories one can burn while swimming only makes it more appealing. I think the fact that swimming is a low impact form of exercise makes it even more attractive. Being someone that has spent her whole adult life working in the retail and food and beverage industries, I have spent probably half of my adult life on my feet, working on concrete floors and running back and forth. I welcome any exercise that gives my feet and knees, and lower back a break. Hello old size 7′s in the back of my closet. I know it’s been a while, but I think we might just become friends again!
Swimming is a great way to build lean muscle while losing the fat. Swimming allows you to use so many muscles and tone many problem areas. Creative Bioscience truly is a great company that covers all of the nutritional needs for our bodies to cope with stress. They have unique formulas that always provide exceptional results. If you are searching for a way to lose even just a few stubborn unwanted pounds, Biosciense products will make your weight loss goals a reality.
Swimming is an excellent way to lose body fat and stay in shape. Not only does it help burn calories, it requires many muscle groups to be used and helps improve your range of motion. The problem is that without a motivator it is quite hard to keep swimming back and forth through a 25yd pool. I Recommend joining a community swim team or swim class at your local gym. After just a month of intense swimming I can guarantee 3 pounds of pure fat will be burned. Doesn’t sound like a lot but I’m talking about pure fat which is such a pain to lose.
This is actually quite interesting. I never thought of swimming in this way, I always viewed it to be entirely just for fun, not exercise. I know many others just swam for fun, but myself, being young, never considered it. I really find this article useful, I can see myself rereading this article over and over, each time taking a bit of new information with me. I’m a bit self conscious of my butt so all those tips will surely be useful in my quest for a more toned bottom.
This article offers an abundance of information on swimming as a method for weight control. Swimming can be used as exercise, especially for those who have injuries or joint problems. Although it is low impact, you are still able to burn just as many calories, if not more, than doing traditional exercises. Swimming is also a fun activity and who doesn’t want to have fun while working out?! Very insightful article!
Swimming to lose weight is an effective way to take off the pounds. Losing weight can be a rather difficult thing to do in many aspects. Many of us have crazy busy lives in a world with many every day temptations. Swimming is a fun way to exercise. It is different and can be done in such a way where it doesn’t feel like a chore. Swimming is a sport and mostly looked at to be fun but in the process can also help lose weight. This article offers a lot of great tips to turn your swimming session into an effective weight loss tool. It has helped me a great deal and is a great read!
Swimming may indeed be an effective exercise that can be used in order to lose body fat. Swimming is both fun and it improves strength.
These are some great tips for building muscle while losing the pounds. Swimming allows you to use so many muscles and tone even the hardest parts of our bodies. Creative Bioscience truly covers all of the nutritional needs for our bodies to cope with excessive exercise and stress. They have unique formulas and are tested over and over and revised to provide exceptional results. If your not on a weight loss program, but are searching for a way to lose them unwanted pounds, please read the important nutritional components of Biosciense products and consider signing up at your local gym. Make your weight loss goals a reality.