Swimming is an excellent aerobic exercise in general, but it might not be the best aerobic exercise for you. Although swimming offers many benefits that include burning tons of calories and a sweat-free workout, it does have a few drawbacks as part of a regular exercise routine.
Fitness Benefits
Swimming lives up to the definition of a good aerobic exercise by elevating your heart rate and working large muscle groups for an extended period of time. It boosts its ranking from good to great by working not only the large muscle groups but every muscle in your body. Swimming enhances your posture, endurance, flexibility and will never make you sweat. In addition to providing a soothing body workout, swimming can work to calm your mind, Women Fitness says.
Low-Impact Benefits
Unlike jogging or jumping around the aerobic dance floor, swimming is low-impact and easy on your bones and joints. Because water adds buoyancy and absorbs impact, swimming works for all body shapes, weights and sizes. The low-impact aspect makes swimming ideal if you are suffering from arthritis, joint pain, the effects of aging, excessive weight or obesity.
Calories Burned
Swimming ranks high on the calorie burning scale, burning off more calories per hour than walking, canoeing or dancing. One hour of swimming laps burns 511 calories if you weigh 160 lbs., 637 calories if you weigh 200 and 763 calories if you weigh 240, according to MayoClinic.com. Activities that match swimming for burning calories are high-impact aerobics, racquetball and ice skating, all of which are much harsher on your bones and joints.
Drawbacks
Swimming does have drawbacks. You need a pool that's roomy enough to swim your laps. If you don't own a pool, you can always join the gym or local health facility and hope the pool is not too packed when you want to use it. Swimming for one hour, or even 30 minutes, can be tough stretch if you are just starting out on an exercise program, out of shape or don't know how to swim in the first place. A swimming workout focuses on the upper body for most of its power, which also means you can go well above your target heart rate. This can be a danger zone if you have heart problems.
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