Swimming

Swimming for weight loss

Weight loss exercises

Swimming strokes to help you lose weight 

Myths about swimming

Take Away 

Swimming is probably not at the top of your list of exercises that can assist you lose weight. Yes, I'm running. Strength training is a must. But what about swimming? Is swimming around a good way to lose weight? Swimming is one of the most effective exercises for toning and slimming your complete body. To keep afloat, you use the arms and legs, and your back muscles propel you forward. Plus, if you've exhausted other fitness options like walking or jogging, swimming might be a refreshing change. The best part is that you don't have to follow Michael Phelps' training regimen to gain the benefits. Here's why swimming is such a great way to lose weight, as well as some helpful hints for getting started.

Swimming for weight loss

Swimming, like all forms of cardiovascular exercise, burns calories and aids weight loss. Moving through the water, however, creates more resistance than walking or jogging, pushing you to utilize your muscles more. Swimming tones the upper body, lower body, and core all at once, providing a full-body exercise and better overall muscular definition than other cardio activities such as running. Breaststroke and butterfly, for example, build the shoulders, arms, and chest, but the backstroke improves your back, abs, and quadriceps. You'll also burn more calories by increasing your muscular mass. Swimming the breaststroke for 30 minutes burns around 367 calories, while swimming freestyle burns around 404 calories. In comparison, 30 minutes of brisk walking or 300 minutes of jogging at 6 miles per hour burns only 100 calories. Is there another benefit? Swimming's fat-burning properties can be realized quickly. Middle-aged women who swim for 60 minutes three times a week lost a considerable amount of body fat in just 12 weeks, according to research. They also increased their endurance, increased their flexibility, and reduced their cholesterol levels.

Weight loss exercises

Swimming for fitness can be frightening when you've never done it before, but it's simple to get started. Here are some expert recommendations.

1. Start with a simple stroke:

Breaststroke and freestyle are the simplest to master, thus they work well for novices. Once you've mastered those, you can try more difficult ones like backstroke or butterfly.

Kicking can be difficult and even painful if your hips are tight. Doing laps with a kickboard, on the other hand, can help you loosen up and expand the range of motion.

Intervals are a terrific method to boost the exercise intensity and burn more calories. Repeat as desired, going hard and fast for one lap and then recovering at a slower speed for two laps.

The incorrect breathing technique might make it more difficult to get into a rhythm and cause you to burn out more quickly. When many people breathe, they elevate their heads too high, disrupting the flow of their stroke. Practicing turning the head just enough to take a breath through your mouth without lifting your head out of the water is a good idea.

Swimming strokes to help you lose weight

Keep in mind that depending on the muscles used, different swim strokes can result in a higher calorie burn. So, to keep the muscles and body guessing, try a variety of activities. One day, swim freestyle, and the next, do the butterfly stroke. The butterfly stroke is by far the most difficult since it engages the entire body and burns the most calories. The backstroke would come in third, and the breaststroke could come in second. Changing the intensity of the workout has been proven to be beneficial. He suggests sprint interval training, which consists of 30 second sprints followed by a four-minute rest period.

Myths about swimming

Many children were taught to wait 30 to 60 minutes after eating before swimming. It was thought that after eating, some blood would go to the stomach to facilitate digestion, diverting blood away from the arms and legs. Blood leaking from the limbs was thought to cause arms and legs to tire quickly, increasing the likelihood of drowning. However, while this is a widely held idea, it does not appear to have any scientific backing. After swimming on a full stomach, some people may get stomach cramps, but this isn't a serious or dangerous condition.

Take Away 

Swimming is a great option to get in shape if you don't like going to the gym or can't do certain sports due to joint problems.  It's a terrific way to lose weight, tone up your muscles, and improve your heart.