Feeling overwhelmed by lifting heavy, pounding pavement for miles and counting every crumb to a few pounds? You can lose weight with swimming to achieve your body goals effortlessly and effectively instead. Swimming is a fun and low-impact activity you may already love as a hobbyist. The cherry on the cake is that it can help you achieve fitness without the grind of a traditional workout. Is swimming good for weight loss? We have the right answer. Please keep reading to learn more about the practical tips and benefits of swimming to lose weight.
How Many Calories Can You Burn with Swimming?
You can burn as much as 272 calories every hour with an average body weight of 150 pounds when swimming leisurely. That’s the equivalent of a 1-hour moderate gym session or about 25-30 minutes of running at five mph in terms of calories burned. Researchers have also listed swimming as one of the “safest and gratifying methods of aerobic physical exercise,” making it an ideal low-impact go-to weight loss workout. Nonetheless, it’s good to know that the weight loss capacity due to swimming varies among individuals. Body weight and the type of swim stroke can result in different weight loss outcomes.
What are the Best Tips for Swimming for Weight Loss?
Swimming leisurely can result in a drop in weight. However, if you aim to lose body weight, understanding the right tips can go a long way. Here are the best swimming tips for weight loss.
Pick the Right Swimstroke
Not all swim strokes help burn fat similarly. Therefore, it’s best to know which is effective. You lose less weight by treading water—about 272 calories per hour—compared to moderate-intensity butterfly swim stroke, which burns up to 900 calories. Moderate to vigorous intensity breaststroke, crawl, or butterfly swim strokes are typically effective in blasting off body fat and losing weight. You can mix these swim strokes for better weight loss results.
Incorporate Resistance Tools
Kicking your swimming intensity up a notch can significantly improve your weight loss results. Pull buoys, paddles, or kickboards can add a little resistance. Increasing your swimming intensity can help engage your muscles more to boost your calorie expenditure.
Alternate Between Easy and Fast Laps
Don’t always hop off the water after every swim stroke. Instead, keep treading water at a lower intensity between breaks to keep your body under tension as you take a breath between your swimming workouts. Besides, you can continue engaging your body by doing light, non-lap swimming when getting a breather before resuming the intense swimming.
Plunge Into Natural Bodies of Water More Often
While swimming pools can be great for losing weight, every swimming workout for weight loss done in oceans, lakes, and rivers allows you to expend more energy. Calories burned swimming in natural bodies of water help burn calories better. That’s because they offer current resistance and ideal temperatures that may compel you to do twice the work to burn body fat equally.
Swim Consistently
If swimming is your hobby, consistently taking a dip won’t feel like a chore. However, if you’re doing it solely for weight loss, it’s good to always push yourself to maintain consistency if you want to notice significant results. Swimming at least three to five times a week and aiming for 45 to 60 minutes per session can maximize fat burning.
The Benefits of Swimming to Lose Weight?
Swimming offers tangible benefits in addition to losing weight, including the following:
Low Impact on Joints
Unlike more intense weight lifting exercises, including HIIT, swimming doesn’t put your joints under much pressure. Swimming can be your best option for losing weight if you’re nursing a joint injury or experiencing joint pain.
Full Engages Your Body
Most workouts target specific areas of the body and muscles. Swimming, on the other hand, targets the entire body by engaging every major muscle group. Swimming can have a much more significant impact on losing weight.
Idea for Flexibility and Mobility
Swimming offers a wide range of motion for your limbs and body. That helps improve joint flexibility and muscle coordination, keeping you fitter.
Fun and Sustainable
Swimming is an indulgence that you enjoy and is varied and sustainable for the long haul. It can be an ideal alternative to repetitive gym routines that feel tiring and boring.
Conclusion
Swimming for weight loss can help you achieve your body goals without heavily relying on intense weight lifting or punitive diets. Making swimming your consistent indulgence while focusing on technique can make it more efficient and effective for burning body fat.