If you are someone who hates to go to the gym, then you might have landed on the right page. There are several other tips and tricks to maintain a healthy lifestyle and swimming for weight loss is one of the most relaxing ways to do it. Swimming is a popular form of physical activity and sport that involves moving through water by propelling oneself using the arms and legs.
There are different swimming strokes or techniques, each with its own characteristics and advantages. These forms of swimming are freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and more. A combination of using these strokes can help in weight loss.
Apart from being a great exercise to shed extra kilos, swimming offers several other health benefits, including improved cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility. It is considered a low-impact exercise, making it suitable for people with joint problems or those looking for a less stressful workout option. Lets’s discuss how swimming is good for weight loss.
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How does swimming help to lose weight?
Swimming for weight loss is a combination of exercises and a balanced diet. While swimming can be highly beneficial, combining it with a healthy eating plan and other effective weight loss tips can yield better results. Here are the weight loss benefits of swimming.
Full-body workout
Swimming engages multiple muscle groups throughout the body, including arms, legs, core, and back. This comprehensive workout burns more calories compared to exercises that target only specific areas. Hence, swimming is a great exercise for weight loss.
Low-impact exercise
Swimming is a low-impact activity, meaning it puts less stress on your joints compared to high-impact exercises like running. This makes it an ideal choice for people with mobility issues, allowing them to exercise without discomfort. This benefit proves that swimming does help lose weight using lesser effort.
Cardiovascular benefits
Swimming is a cardiovascular exercise that elevates your heart rate, improving your cardiovascular health and boosting your metabolism. The increased heart rate leads to calorie burning and promotes fat loss.
Calorie burn
Swimming can burn a significant number of calories. The exact number of calories burned depends on factors such as your weight, the intensity of the swim, and the stroke used. On average, a 30-minute swim can burn anywhere from 200 to 400 calories or even more.
Continuous movement
Swimming involves continuous movement, keeping your body active for extended periods. This prolonged activity can help you maintain a higher calorie burn compared to exercises with more frequent breaks. This benefit of swimming is quite crucial for weight loss.
Improved endurance
As you swim regularly, your endurance and stamina increases as well. This improvement allows you to swim longer and more intensely, leading to more calorie expenditure and potential weight loss.
Stress reduction
Another way in which swimming does help in reducing weight is stress reduction. Swimming can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Stress can contribute to weight gain, so engaging in an enjoyable and relaxing activity like swimming may help prevent overeating or emotional eating.
Enhanced metabolism
Regular swimming can boost your metabolism, which is the rate at which your body burns calories at rest. An elevated metabolism can aid in weight loss by allowing your body to burn more calories throughout the day.
Consistency and sustainability
One of the key factors in successful weight loss is finding an exercise routine that you can maintain over for long term. Swimming is an enjoyable activity for many people, making it easier to stay committed to your fitness goals.
A beginners swimming workout and tips for weight loss
Length: 500 yards
Start the workout only after a warmup.
- 4 x 25 yards
- 40 seconds rest
- 2 x 25 yards butterfly. You can make it more challenging by doing two right-arm strokes and then two left-arm strokes.
- 2 x 25 yards backstroke. You can make it challenging by adding the two-stroke method.
- 2 x 25 yards breaststroke. Go for one stroke and two kicks.
- 2 x 25 yards freestyle stroke.
Hero Image: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock; Feature Image: Jacob Lund/Shutterstock
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answer: Experts recommend swimming five times a week and use varying strokes to lose weight. 30 minutes of swimming everyday is good.
Answer: Yes, swimming can help in shaping the skeletal system and in slimming the body. It especially helps in reducing excess belly fat.
Answer: Yes, but you also need to take care of your diet.
Answer: Just by swimming for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, one can lose roughly 250 to 600 grams.
Answer: It totally depends on your personal fitness goals.
