Swimming provides a full-body cardiovascular workout that elevates your heart rate and works muscles in your upper body, lower body and core. Like other forms of physical activity, swimming can help you lose weight. Regular physical activity can also lower your cholesterol, reduce your blood pressure and boost your energy and mood.
Types
Though swimming casually or with children in a pool or lake can elevate your heart rate and burn calories, swimming laps represents the best swimming workout for weight loss. You can choose from several strokes when you swim laps, or alternate among strokes. The four competitive swimming strokes are freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly stroke and backstroke.
Considerations
Many beginning swimmers find the freestyle or breaststroke easiest to master. Though the freestyle is the fastest stroke, it also requires less energy than other strokes. The breaststroke, on the other hand, though slower than other strokes, requires the most energy, according to the 2008 article "Front Crawl vs. Breaststroke" in The Guardian newspaper. Choose a stroke or strokes that you feel comfortable swimming so you can swim for longer and burn more calories.
Equipment
Before you begin a weight-loss swimming routine, you'll need basic equipment. Choose a well-fitting, one-piece swimming suit for comfort, and purchase a pair of goggles that fits snugly but comfortably. If you want to focus on your arm stroke, use a foam floatation device between your legs. If you want to focus on your leg kick, use a kickboard to support your upper body.
Benefits
Swimming provides a lower-impact form of aerobic exercise than walking, running or using a stair climber. Swimming puts less stress on bones and joints than other activities. Swimming provides a more comfortable alternative to weight-bearing activities for overweight or obese people. Swimming can also help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. One hour of swimming laps can burn 511 calories for a 160 lb. person, 637 calories for a 200 lb. person and 763 calories for a 240 lb. person, according to MayoClinic.com. To lose 1 lb., you must burn 3,500 more calories than you take in. If you burn 250 calories a day by swimming and cut 250 calories from your daily diet, you can lose 1 lb. in a week.
The number of calories you burn while swimming will depend on your weight, the duration of your lap swimming and the intensity of your effort while swimming. Losing weight by swimming and maintaining a healthful diet can lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes and other obesity-related diseases.
Warning
Consult your doctor before you begin a new fitness routine. Begin slowly and build gradually to a more challenging routine. Swim with lifeguards present whenever possible.
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