Ever surprised whether swimming is a weight loss tool or purely a great exercise to maintain proper levels of fitness and joint mobility? Like other low-level cardio workout or moderate activities like walking, swimming is also a great workout to keep inflammation at bay and also to lower the risk of various degenerative diseases. But does swimming help weight loss?
Usually, when starting a new workout, most of the people tend to decrease the weight of your body.
Swimming is one of the most fruitful low-impact aerobic exercises. It improves posture, uplifts mood, tones all the body muscles, enhances lung capacity, and increases flexibility and muscle coordination. In fact, swimming can help improve your lifestyle. But, does it aid weight loss?
In everyone’s mind, this question generally raises frequently….Below you can know the link between swimming and weight loss.
Yes, you can lose your body weight by performing swimming, but you have to follow the right rules and guidelines to burn the fat, because swimming is an aerobic exercise, and to burn fat, you have to swim between 60-80% of your maximum heart rate. If you don’t do that, you will not be able to burn enough calories. Before knowing the swimming positions, you have to know few things about swimming.
How To Calculate Your Heart Rate For Swimming To Burn Fat?
Below are the simple steps to calculate your heart rate to burn fat by swimming:
First, subtract your age from 220 to find out your maximum heart rate. For example, if you are 25, subtract 25 from 220, which is equal to 195. So, 195 is your maximum heart rate.
Now, to burn fat, you need to have your heart rate between 60% – 80% of 195, i.e., between 117-154 BPM.
Now, the next big question is, how to lose weight by swimming.
How To Lose Body Weight By Swimming?
First, you should try swimming for 60 minutes, for 5-6 days a week. If you are new to perform swimming activity, you can begin it by swimming three days a week for 30 minutes. Then, as you get more and more comfortable with your breathing and swimming technique, you can increase the duration and swim six days a week.
Your aim should be to reach a fitness level where you can swim 20 laps without interruption. If you are already an excellent swimmer, you can lose weight by maintaining the required heart rate to burn the fat and do interval swimming. For example, you can do three laps at one go and then complete one lap slower than the other three. Take an interval for 30 seconds and repeat this set. Do this for 60 minutes to mobilize the fat.
You can practice various types of swimming strokes to keep your swimming fun and engaging. Here’s the list of strokes that aid weight loss.
How Water for Weight Loss Works?
You have to know this vital information about water. Generally, water is 800 times denser than air, that is why each kick, push and pull is like a resistance workout for your entire body. So according to this swimming works well for your core, arms, glutes, hips, and shoulders. A relaxed, leisurely swim burns around 500-600 calories in 60 minutes while a rigorous one may burn up to 700 calories. So, while swimming, you will burn calories.
How Many Calories Will Swimming Burn?
Depending on your body weight and exertion level, swimming generally helps you burn between 90-550 extra calories in a half-hour session.
You should take care of your swimming Kit Bag
This is small but important to wear a cap because hair can spread contagious diseases easily.
- Costume/Trunks – There are hundreds available, you decide which you feel most comfortable in.
- Goggles – These are used to improve your vision and prevent chlorine irritating the eyes.
- Earplugs – useful if you don’t like to get water in your ears, or if you’re susceptible to ear infections.
- Water Bottle – Remember you are exercising so need to keep your body hydrated. Keep this at the end of your lane so that you can drink in your breaks.
At What Age Should A Child And Adult Can Start Swimming?
New parents frequently ask about, at which age child should start swimming
It is not recommended swim lessons until kids grow 3-to-4 years old. You can start earlier, but most kids just do not put all of the strokes together until they are 4. It is recommended formal lessons before age 1. Now after age 1, it is up to the judgment of the parents if the child is developmentally ready for lessons.
Even during the practice, you need to keep an eye on your child.
Generally, adults between the ages of 18 and 65 should practice swimming, but you should keep in mind that if you have any diseases or any disorders consult your doctor before starting swimming practice.
Swimming Is Useful For Whom?
For Diabetes
Generally swimming is a fantastic physical activity for those who are with overweight and as well as diabetes –whether type 1 or type 2, especially for those suffering from numbness or the lack of feeling in their feet caused from diabetic neuropathy.
Swimming strengthens your body’s primary muscles which can help in controlling diabetes as your muscle cells absorb blood sugar efficiently and that’s how any physical exercise and swimming for diabetes helps to lower blood sugar levels, effectively. It is recommended to swim only 40 minutes if you have diabetes.
But you should keep in mind that over swimming may lead to cause few effects in your body if you have diabetes consult your doctor and take suggestions of timings while swimming.
Things to keep in mind before swimming – if you have diabetes!
Inform the lifeguard that you have diabetes before every session. That is, before getting yourself in the pool
Always wear your diabetes ID bracelet whether or not in the pool
Wear your shower sandals around the pool and also in the locker rooms. This will reduce the chance of cutting or bruising your feet or getting an athlete’s foot. Also make sure you examine your feet carefully after swimming to check for bruises, cuts or abrasions
Now get into the pool and go after your goals of losing depression, stress, weight and manage your diabetes well.
For Heart Patients
You have heavyweight but there is a heart problem in you, this is frequently asked a question from all of them that is swimming is safe for Heart patients?
Swimming generally improves your cardiovascular health, which reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke because blood flow will be clear. Swimming also lowers your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. But you should keep in mind that only 30 minutes duration and limited speed is good for heart patients because over time swimming, and crossing limited speed may cause risk for your heart and leads to heart stroke which may sometimes cause death.
Apart from heart health it also improves lung function and reduces your risk of suffering from bone or joint conditions, such as arthritis, later in life.
Is It Safe To Do Swimming While Pregnant?
Pregnancy is a life-changing process in many ways. To protect the good health of your baby, you will probably want to do every possible thing, from eating right to trying to exercise even if you don’t feel like it.
If you love being in the water, there may be a chance that you are worried about swimming because of your pregnancy. There are many questions you may have about swimming while pregnant- is it harmful to your baby? Will it create complications? And so on.
Understanding the effects of swimming on your body during pregnancy will help you make a fair choice.
Swimming during your pregnancy is completely safe. It has no risks involved regarding your, as well as your baby’s health. As long as you are swimming correctly keeping certain precautions in mind, chances are you will be fine. But you should first check with your doctor as well. Every woman’s body reacts differently during pregnancy, and your doctor will know your status best.
For Skin Disease People
You are suffering from overweight, and still, you have skin problems, please avoid swimming until you are treated. Still, you want to swim consult your doctor before taking a decision.
As skin problem, people can spread the skin diseases quickly from one to another, and you should also notice that your skin infections or skin problems may get worse by swimming as water in few swimming pools contains few types of chemical and few added powder to kill insects in the pool. You will also find the harmful bacteria may attack you if you are suffering from skin infections and disorders.
Below Are The Swim Poses FOr You to lose your weight
1. Freestyle Stroke
The freestyle stroke which is also called as front crawl, it is is one of the fastest weight loss swimming strokes. This stroke is often used in swimming competitions.
Here’s how you should do it.
- Float on the surface of water by putting your face down, your body flat, the arms extended but slightly bent, and the palms facing down.
- Now, pull your right side arm from the beginning position, in a semicircular motion and line with your body, towards your thigh.
- Let your right hand leave the water. Make sure that it is slightly bent at the elbow, with the palm facing down. Reach front and re-enter the water with your fingertips.
- While you do the above step, turn your face towards your right, breath in, and as your fingertips re-enter the water, turn your face down.
You should repeat this pose for two times for 1 hour. By this swimming stroke, you can lose your weight easily because a person weighing 58 kilos will burn around 590 calories if they perform freestyle swimming for an hour, according to your weight can calculate.
2. Butterfly Stroke
The butterfly stroke is also known as “fly” and is one of the toughest swimming strokes. It is the second fastest stroke, and it aids burn fat and strengthens your muscles.
Here’s how you should do it.
- Firstly float on the water by doing your face down, your body flat, arms shoulder-width apart and extended but slightly bent, and the palms facing down.
- Drag down your arms, palms facing down, elbows at a top position than your hands, and move your hands in a semicircular motion towards your body.
- Retake both your arms in a sweeping motion out of the water and let your hands re-enter the water, with your arms in the same position as in the beginning position.
- As your arms just come out of the water, raise your chin, look straight, and breathe in.
- Your leg action should be like that of a mermaid. Keep both your legs together, toes pointed out, and kick downward.
- The first kick should be small after your arms re-enter the water.
- The next kick should be more powerful to help you move forward when your arms are in the recovery phase.
- Your body should form S-shape structure to make the swimming effective.
Do this for 50-60 minutes, by this stroke, you can burn around 150 calories in 10 minutes for a person weighing around 72 kilos.
3. Back Stroke
The backstroke, also known as back crawl, is much slower than the freestyle stroke or butterfly stroke. This is also very helpful in burning calories in your body.
Here’s how you should do it.
- Lie on your back with your legs straight, toes pointed, and the arms extended over your head.
- Float lightly on the surface of the water with the palms facing upward, and your face above the water surface. Then Look straight up.
- Put your right arm under water. Move it in a semicircular motion, pushing the water backward with the help of your palm, and then recover your arm from the water.
- As you recover your right arm from the water, put your left arm under water and repeat step 2.
- Move your right hand in back to the starting position.
- Ensure that you flutter your feet to help propel you forward.
Repeat this stroke for 60minutes, by this you can burn 100 calories, but it is varied from person to person.
4. Side Stroke
The sidestroke is a fun swimming technique that can help improve your hand-leg coordination. It is very effective for water gymnastics so it can reduce your weight easily.
Here’s how you should do it.
- Float sideways with your bottom arm extended and legs together. Tilt your head up and look sideways.
- Your legs should perform the scissor action. Flex both your legs and move the top leg forward and bottom leg backward and bring them back to the starting position in a circular motion.
- Your bottom arm is the lead arm that will pull the water from above your head. Your top arm is the trailing arm that helps push the pulled water downward.
- As the trailing arm pushes the water back, the lead arm moves forward to the starting position.
- This collective action of the lead arm and the trailing arm, along with the scissor action of the legs, helps your body to move forward.
This style easily helps you in burning calories You should practice this pose for 50-60 minutes in a day
To burn lot and lot of calories, it’s recommended to go swimming in an interval training. Swim fastly as long as you can do. As it is have already mentioned above, different types of swimming strokes burn a various number of calories. Not only strokes but also the time duration for which you perform these strokes matters. These above stroke types will help you burn the calories, fat and get a slim and toned body.
Very useful article.
It automatically generated names and categories of people to whom I should forward while reading.
Hi Abhishek thanks a lot for liking the article