Swimming has always been a part of our routines – whether it was your afternoon lap for a change of scenery, or a brunch dip on vacation. But, recently people have started swimming to lose weight easily. It is increasingly becoming popular as a cardio routine.
In fact, nutritionists and physiotherapists across the world recommend swimming to lose weight. There are multiple reasons for this. It is a great workout for beginners who are just getting into the whole exercise and diet regimen. People that are recovering from injuries and accidents can go swimming for physical therapy. And, swimming also helps you shed kilos quickly and easily.
As a full body workout, swimming helps you lose weight and develop muscle.
Swimming has a twofold benefit – it is great for cardio and it helps you build muscle. As a cardio routine, swimming burns almost three times the amount of calories that other forms of cardio, such as brisk walking, do. This is because swimming makes use of every part of your body – your arms pull against the water, your torso keeps you afloat, and your legs determine direction. Plus, since you are pulling yourself against the flow of water, the resistance builds friction and helps tone your body. This helps you develop muscle, which further helps you burn calories even while at rest.
Use Body Weight & Vary Frequency and Tempo
Plus, swimming is a low impact workout.
This means that swimming does not cause any wear and tear on joints and limbs. This is because swimming is a water based exercise which uses your body weight to lose weight. Sounds complicated? Not really. You see, your own body weight can help you lose weight when done correctly. Certain exercises, such as swimming (cardio), push ups (strength training), etc. actually make use of your own body weight to burn calories and tone you up. Hence, because of the nature of swimming, it does minimal damage to your knees, shins, calves, etc. This makes it an effective workout, and recuperative therapy, for people with illnesses such as arthritis.
To accelerate the results, try interval training.
Interval training is a popular method used by leading athletes to break monotonous cycles and generate faster results. It is pretty easy to follow. While swimming, you simply should alternate between frequency and tempo – try swimming one lap extremely quickly, followed by two laps at a moderate pace, and then repeat the cycle. Keep alternating between your face and number of laps, and create a pattern for swimming to lose weight quickly.
But, beware the swimmer’s appetite.
When you try swimming to lose weight, it would be counterproductive for you to enjoy big meals after. That said, “swimmer’s appetite” is a real thing where people keep extremely hungry after swimming. This is because you are working out in the cold water and exerting a tremendous amount of energy to do so. Don’t let that go to waste by feasting on a large meal after.
Skip the Swimmer’s Appetite
In all, it is a good idea for you to go swimming to lose weight easily and quickly.
Swimming has time and again proven its place as a great exercise for weight loss and physical therapy. This is because it provides your full body with a workout, sheds a ton of calories, tones up your body, and provides great physical therapy. It is also a low impact workout and does minimal damage to knees, shins, calves, etc. But, you must be careful not to binge eating after a good swimming session. With proper care, swimming is highly recommended.
