How Swimming Helps You Lose Weight

How Swimming Helps You Lose Weight

None of us think about the swimming pool when we want to lose weight, but actually, we should. Swimming not only helps in weight loss but also helps in burning fat, getting fitter, healthier and makes you stronger. There is no other workout which can make you as fit as swimming does. It boosts metabolism and burns so many calories as compared to other workouts. A study conducted by researchers of Indiana University compared regular swimmers with non-swimmers and found that regular swimmers of all ages had a, slimmer waist leaner muscles and hips as compared to non-swimmers.

How Swimming Actually Works for Weight Loss?

Water is 800 times dense as compared to air that is why each push, kick and pull is like a resistance workout for the entire body. Swimming works really well for your shoulders, arms, core, glutes, hips. An easy relaxed swim burns around 500-600 calories in an hour while a strict regular swimmer may burn up to 700-800 calories. So, while swimming, you not only burn calories but also help to build muscles. These muscles boost your metabolism which will help you burn more calories.

Good for joints

Water neutralizes gravity, so when you are immersed in water, you become weightless virtually. This gives your joints a much-needed break. Swimming does not cause any injury, unlike running or strength training.

It helps you stay younger

Researchers show that regular swimmers are biologically 20 years younger than their actual age. According to the data presented by American College of Sports Medicine Conference, habitual swimmer’s cardiovascular system, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, central nervous system, and cognitive functioning are easily comparable to someone much younger than them.

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How long we should swim to lose weight?

To lose weight as a person should swim based upon their body weight, swimming stroke they use and speed at which they swim. According to research for Disease Control and Prevention one should do at least two hours and 30 minutes of swimming every week. Not only for losing weight but swimming can also help you maintain your weight once you have lost the required amount of weight. 3,500 calories are equal to a half kilogram of weight. So, you need to burn 3,500 calories more apart from what you are taking, to lose that half kilogram.

Different types of strokes

As mentioned above, different swimming strokes burn a different number of calories. Not only strokes but also the time for which you are performing these strokes matters.

Butterfly stroke

Butterfly stroke burns the maximum number of calories with its difficult dolphins like kick and windmill arm motion. This stroke burns around 100-150 calories in 10 minutes for a person whose weight is around 72 kg.

Freestyle stroke

Freestyle is also called as a front crawl which burns a large number of calories. The best part of this is, it’s the easiest to perform and that is why it is the most popular stroke. A person weighing 58 kilograms will burn up to 590 calories if they perform freestyle swimming for an hour.

Breaststroke and backstroke

Both of these styles are no less when it comes to burning calories. The number of calories both of these strokes burns is equal to the number of calories that you will burn while slow jog or fast walk.

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The best idea for you would be picking up a single form and performing it on daily basis. The more you swim in a particular stroke, which will help you to learn the technique, which will help you in burning more number of calories due to the perfect form.

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