I have read it somewhere that swimming is the best form of cardio exercise there is. It is supposedly even better than running. Unlike with running, when you are swimming the whole body is in motion, and there is no impact or shock from the feet hitting the ground, which could cause strain and damage to the body in the long run. You get none of that when you are swimming, and then you get the full benefit of giving your heart a thorough workout. Is swimming a good way to lose weight? If it is such a good exercise, I wanted to know the truth about that. Because if it can burn off a significant amount of fat from my body then I need to do more of it. I did some research of my own to find out if swimming can indeed help in losing weight.
Burning Calories
Swimming is an effective method for burning calories. Research has proven that a person weighing 160 pounds can burn a total of about 510 calories every hour when swimming laps. The heavier that a person is, the more calories that they can burn swimming. A 240lb person can burn off an extraordinary 760 calories doing the same level of exercise. The intensity of the workout has something to do with this effect. Remember that swimming is an exercise that involves the whole body. Trying some water activity that is less vigorous like just splashing around or hanging out in a pool can reduce the amount of calories burned by almost half.
Effectiveness
Don’t let those numbers fool you however. To lose one pound of your current weight you must burn 3,500 calories above the amount that you consume. At that rate, you can keep on swimming for an hour each day and maintain your current diet and still lose 1 pound per week. For best results however you have to make some changes in your diet. Create a huge caloric deficit for even greater weight loss.
How to Start
When you begin your swimming exercises you should take things easy. Swim for 30 seconds and then rest for another 30 seconds. As you grow more and more comfortable in the water, you can extend the time that you spend and add routines so that you do not get bored with what you are doing. Try doing a lap of each stroke or swim as fast as you can for a lap and then more at a more modest pace for 3 other laps.
Remember when you are swimming to lose weight, you are not doing it to break speed records. Just keep your cool and take your time when swimming. The longer time that you spend swimming, the better. A good rule to follow on measuring how much you should increase your routine each week is to not add more than 10 percent to your current routine with each passing week. That is the maximum amount of increased intensity that research seems to suggest that your body can handle.
That is what I have discovered about swimming and losing weight. To answer my question, yes, swimming is indeed a great and effective way to lose weight. One just has to know how to do it correctly and in the proper way for the most effective weight loss. Now I am using swimming as a means of getting a better body and after over a year I could say that it is very effective.