Swimming is a great form of exercise no matter the time of year and has a whole range of benefits associated with it in addition to burning calories. It is good for the heart, and your muscle tone, and can also be great for weight loss.
Many people considering installing an inground or above ground pool in their backyard want to know if swimming is good for burning calories. The experts from shopclearwaterpools.com believe that most of them opt for it in order to relax, but also swim regularly. Of course, like all forms of exercise, the number of calories burned while swimming varies dependent of a few different factors such as your current weight, gender, and then how you are swimming, including the duration, intensity, swim stroke, weight and swim efficiency.
What Stroke Is Best?
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Usually, the swimming stroke that has been proven to burn the most calories is the freestyle stroke, simply because this is the fastest stroke, so you are able to cover a greater distance.
However, each stroke works on different muscle groups, so it may be worth switching it up every now and then so more muscles are benefitting from the workout. Switching strokes may also help to keep things interesting so you don’t get bored. When it comes to burning the most calories, the key is duration and frequency, so if you feel like you are strongest and more confident with other strokes such as breaststroke or backstroke, you may end up burning more calories with these as you are able to swim for longer.
Getting Started
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When starting a new exercise, it is always advised to learn the best practices so that not only are you getting the most out of the exercise, but are also it should also prevent you from hurting yourself. If you are new to swimming, there is no harm in starting small and slow and building yourself up gradually. Even though swimming is a no impact sport, if you push yourself too hard in the beginning, you run the risk of injury.
A good starting point is around three swims a week, each for the duration of between 10 and 30 minutes. This is enough to get your metabolism going and burn some calories. Once you are confident with this, you can start to build up the duration, adding around 5 minutes every week. Don’t be afraid to take a break in between laps if you feel like you need it as the ability to swim further for longer will come with time.
What to Eat
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Although swimming has been proven to be very beneficial when it comes to weight loss, it shouldn’t be the only factor in your journey. It is also key that you tailor your diet around your plan as well, so you’ll want to create a diet that gives you the required energy to fuel your workouts.
If you are planning on going for a swim, try to remember to have something to eat around 30 minutes before your workout if you know it is going to last more than an hour. Carbohydrates are a good source of energy for this. After your workout, the best thing to eat is a little lean protein and a small number of quality carbs. Try not to scoff down lots of food after your workout, as this will counteract everything that you have just achieved in the pool!
As with all new exercises, it is always best to start slow and don’t push your body too hard. Eat the right food and change up your strokes and you will be well on your way to achieving that weight loss goal.
