Swimming could be a wonderful form of exercise. It uses nearly all the major muscle groups, and places a vigorous demand on your heart and lungs. It develops muscle strength and endurance, and improves posture and flexibility.
The buoyancy factor makes it particularly useful for people who are pregnant, have injuries like leg or lower back problems, or who find high-impact exercise uncomfortable. It’s a great sport for people of all ages and all proficiency levels.
In order to lose weight, you could want to keep your swimming regime (speeding up your pace a little bit and increasing the length of your swimming sessions, if necessary), and supplement it with some good-paced, arm-swinging walks.
Research studies show that swimming and weight loss, notwithstanding, has produced inconsistent and contradictory results.
Studies show that swimmers lost weight (and body fat), gained a few pounds, and had no weight changes at all.
In most of the cases where swimmers gained weight, it was lean body mass (muscle) and not fat.
One research study found that individuals who swim in cold water may consume more calories post-workout than individuals who swim in warmer water.
So when you’re swimming mainly to lose weight, make sure that you are not inadvertently consuming unneeded calories during post-workout snacks and meals.
In addition, the volume of calories you burn while swimming depends on how fast you go and for how long.
At a slow pace, twenty laps may burn only fifty calories – little more than simply staying afloat. Conversely, a swimmer doing a brisk forward crawl will often burn as much as eleven calories per minute.
Swimming in a pool may be more conducive to the type of workout you are looking for than swimming at a beach or lake; pools often have lap swim hours, and you will not have to contend with rolling waves or boats.
For a guaranteed workout, you can also join up with a USA Masters Swimming group near you.
In the end, weight loss is dependent on a simple formula; more calories are burned than are consumed. No one exercise is necessarily better than another for weight loss; what matters is that you eat a healthful, well balanced diet and remain regularly physically active.
Swimming could be a fun activity to add to your workout routine, whether you are a novice or a master. Enjoy!
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