Swim For Fit – Can Swimming Help You Lose Weight And How?

Swimming is one of the best ways to get in shape, get fit and get healthy.

I love swimming.

I started swimming back in my childhood when I was 6 years old. I never got to be a professional swimmer even though my parents were very supportive.

I just never got back to swimming as a sport, once I stopped doing it.

But, I’m really good and I’m improving myself every single day, because the reality is that I’ve never stopped swimming.

I swim whenever I have a chance, on my vacations, through the summer.

And let’s face it, is there a better way to do cardio in the hot summer? No way. You actually get to do cardio and cool down in the same time.

But can we really lose weight by swimming?

Is it that good?

Well, it is definitely much better than you think, so just stay with me and stay focused so that you can realize how can swimming actually help you get in shape.

Let’s swim on to the facts, girls! I’ll teach you all you need to know about swimming:

how to get better, how to use it for weight loss, and how to do it right.

Can We Use Swimming As A Way To Lose Weight?

Yes we can!

I have many girls asking me is swimming a good way to lose weight, and my answer is YES!

You might not know this, but swimming burns double more calories than cycling, running or any other form of cardio.

This is because unlike these other forms, swimming uses the whole body and that means it provides a full body workout:

• Legs;
• core;
• arms;
• back;
• shoulders

Swimming provides lower and upper body workout, working on the muscles strength at the same time.

It is good for the muscles, heart and bones.

There are also many swimming workouts to lose weight, but we’ll talk about that in the following posts.

I plan to make one for swimming pool exercises to lose weight, so keep up. :)

Can Swimming Make Us Fit?

Yes it can!

Let me give you some facts here.

Losing weight is possible but when I say losing weight, the reality is not always losing weight on scale.

It’s actually more likely to change our whole body composition and make some muscles too.

As it burns the fat in our body, swimming helps us build some muscles and feel stronger.

The fitness benefits of swimming cannot be seen immediately, but when they start getting stronger, our body starts changing a lot.

What Do I Need To Get Started?

You need few things to get started.

You have to know that if you want to swim for weight loss and not just for fun, you are gonna need a pair of swimming glasses.

They don’t need to be the best ones, just some that can help you follow your path and not be blind under water.

Next, you need to eat well.

You cannot swim if you haven’t eaten well enough. And this means a lot of carbs.

Unlike any other fitness activity, swimming gets a lot of your energy.

So you have to make sure to fuel up well before you get started, just not right before you get started, at least an hour and a half.

You’re definitely gonna need some swimming techniques.

For example, how to breathe right, what swimming technique will you use, how much should you swim and how to nail it right . If you don’t know these things, don’t worry – we’ll get there.

And last, but definitely not least, you need water. Pool, lake or sea. If you area beginner you should start at the pool, but no worries you can make it in the nature too.

How To Swim For Weight Loss?

First of all, it should last at least 30-40 minutes 4 -5 times a week.

Not to mention that it should be non-stop.

No BREAKS, no RESTS.

So if you are a beginner, you should start slow.

That means 30 seconds swimming, then 30 seconds rest. As you go further with your swimming aim to get up to 40 minutes non stop swimming.

As you get better and stronger, you’ll be able to actually start to feel your body changing.

Swimming Technique

You got to have a swimming technique!

The simplest and yet most effective swimming techniques, and I have to say one of my favorite, is the crawl stroke.

This face-down swimming position allows you a good range of motion of the arm in the water.

The above-water recovery of the stroke reduces drag.

The arm movements of the front crawl provide most of the forward motion. The arms alternate from side to side, so while one arm is pulling and pushing under the water, the other arm is recovering above the water.

Here’s how to do it right:

Breathing Techniques

Breathing is the MOST IMPORTANT thing when it comes to swimming.

Developing a good breathing technique is perhaps the biggest challenge for beginner and intermediate swimmers.

Problems with breathing can easily knock on into other parts of the stroke.

Here’s how to breathe right:

The most important thing when it comes to breathing when swimming is the exhalation.

You can exhale through your mouth or through your nose or through both, it doesn’t matter, but when your face is in the water you should be exhaling all the time in one constant stream of bubbles.

The most important reason why we should exhale like that is that when we hold our breath we tense up and when we breathe out we release that tension.

It helps us improve out swimming stamina, and have better results too.

Is It Hard To Swim For Fitness?

Yes it is.

But it gets better as you practice.

It may be harder than you think. It burns a lot of calories, around 300-500 per 30 minutes, depending on your weight, but it’s really hard too.

You have to know the technique, you have to know how to breath right, and on top of that you’ll have to challenge the stamina for 30-60 minutes per day.

So yes, it’s harder than you think, but it’s possible!

You can do it too, you just have to try, and to be patient, and you’ll improve you’re swimming skills, and get better results faster than you think.

So what are you waiting for, girls?! SWIM AWAY THE SUMMER! :)

I hope I answered your question can I lose weight swimming. If you like this, don’t forget to share it with your friends!