Swimming is often lauded as a fantastic form of exercise, but is it truly effective for weight loss? This article dives deep into the benefits of swimming, comparing it to other exercises like running, and providing actionable routines to help you achieve your weight loss goals.
Introduction
Swimming and running are both excellent forms of cardiovascular exercise, boosting cardio fitness and burning calories. Swimming elevates your heart rate, strengthens muscles in your upper and lower body, and burns calories, all while being gentle on your joints. Running tones the lower body, torches calories, and, as a weight-bearing activity, helps prevent bone loss. If you're unsure which is better, fear not! We'll explore the benefits of both swimming and running, helping you decide which suits you best.
Calorie Burn: Swimming vs. Running
When considering calorie burn, it's important to remember that several factors play a role, including your weight and the intensity of the exercise. Harvard Medical School provides estimates for calorie burn during 30 minutes of activity based on body weight. For detailed calculations, consider using an online activity calorie counter from the American Council on Exercise.
Burning Fat: Intensity Matters
Physical therapist Jena Gatses emphasizes the importance of variables when it comes to burning fat, highlighting the effectiveness of interval training. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves short bursts of vigorous exercise followed by low-intensity recovery periods. Despite shorter workout times, HIIT offers similar health benefits as twice the amount of moderate-intensity activity.
Both running and swimming can be used for HIIT workouts. The number of calories burned depends on exercise intensity, which is directly linked to your heart rate. Sprints, for example, elevate your heart rate to extreme ranges for short periods, making them highly effective for burning calories and fat.
Read also: Weight Loss: Walking vs. Swimming Comparison
Ultimately, whether running or swimming is better for burning fat depends on the intensity of the exercise, how high you elevate your heart rate and keep it elevated, and the duration of the workout. Both are effective options for burning calories and fat.
Advantages of Swimming
Easier on Your Joints
One of the primary advantages of swimming is that it’s easier on your joints, especially beneficial if you have osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or other conditions that cause joint pain. A 2016 study revealed that swimming as an exercise intervention reduces stiffness and joint pain.
Safer for Injury Recovery
Swimming is a popular choice for those recovering from injuries, particularly lower body injuries. The buoyancy of water offers greater support for muscles and joints compared to land-based workouts, allowing you to work harder with less impact on your body.
Versatile Calorie Burning
Swimming offers diverse ways to burn calories. Alternate between different strokes, add resistance with an aqua belt or wrist and ankle weights, or engage in a full-body workout in the pool.
Full-Body Workout
Swimming requires the use of many muscles, making it an excellent full-body workout. While running is great for the lower body, swimming works the muscles in your back, chest, arms, and shoulders more comprehensively.
Read also: Effective Swimming for Weight Loss
Mental Health Benefits
Swimming is unique in that it requires you to disconnect from the outside world. Without the ability to use phones or other devices in the pool, swimming provides a mental break from constant digital stimulation. Many find that being in the water is relaxing and reduces stress. Regular exercise, including swimming, helps reduce anxiety and depression by releasing "feel good" hormones and keeping the brain active. Open water swimming can provide even more mental health benefits by allowing you to swim in beautiful outdoor locations. Research has even shown that swimming is comparable to Yoga in reducing anxiety and stress over a 12-week period.
Increased Fitness and Muscle Mass
NHS guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week for adults aged 19 to 64. Vigorous activities like fast swimming can reduce this to 75 minutes per week. Swimming can also help build muscle, particularly in the arms, upper body, and thighs. This is because swimming provides consistent resistance, challenging muscles and promoting definition.
Lower Impact
High-intensity workouts can exacerbate joint pain, but swimming is a lower impact alternative. Water reduces your moving body weight by up to 90%, reducing stress and impact on joints, muscles, and bones. While running or cycling may burn more calories, swimming keeps your heart rate up without stressing your body, helping to build stamina through steady-state training (LISS). Studies have shown that swimming can significantly reduce joint pain and stiffness for people with osteoarthritis.
Improved Sleep
Aerobic exercise, including swimming, has been linked to better sleep quality and duration. Regular exercise, combined with good sleep hygiene, can improve sleep quality, mood, and overall quality of life.
Pregnancy-Safe Exercise
Swimming is generally considered a safe exercise during pregnancy. The water supports the body and bump, reducing swelling in the ankles and feet. Studies have found that pregnant women who swim during their early to mid-pregnancy may have a lower risk of preterm labor and congenital defects.
Read also: Weight Loss Through Swimming
Stroke Variety
Unlike other forms of exercise with limited variety, swimming offers various strokes to keep workouts fresh. Different strokes work different muscles, with front crawl being ideal for faster cardio workouts and breaststroke suitable for LISS workouts. Learning new strokes and improving technique can be highly satisfying.
Reduce Stress
Swimming helps mitigate the effects of stress by reducing stress hormones and creating feel-good endorphins. It can be as effective as yoga for alleviating depression and anxiety.
Helps with Mobility Issues
Swimming offers the opportunity to move in ways that are not possible on land due to the support provided by the water, making it beneficial for individuals with mobility issues. It allows for building cardio and muscle strength without adding extra stress to existing problems.
Helps People with MS
Swimming can be a beneficial workout for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Studies have shown that MS sufferers who swam experienced less pain.
Can Make You Smarter
Research has shown that children who swim at an early age master skills earlier than normal and have superior motor skills. They are also more adept at mastering skills like language and mathematics.
Advantages of Running
High Calorie Burn
Running is an excellent choice if you want to burn a lot of calories. The faster you run, the more you’ll burn. Incorporating walking or jogging intervals can turn your run into a calorie-torching workout. A 2-to-1 interval ratio is a good starting point, such as running at a quick pace for 2 minutes, then walking or jogging for 1 minute, repeated for 30 minutes.
Weight-Bearing Exercise
Running allows you to increase your bone density through weight-bearing activity, something swimming doesn’t provide. Weight-bearing exercises like jogging, walking, and hiking are the best bone-building activities because they require you to work against gravity.
Easy to Get Started
Unlike swimming, which requires a pool, running only requires a good pair of shoes and access to the outdoors or a treadmill.
Vitamin D Boost
Running outdoors can boost your vitamin D levels.
Choosing Between Swimming and Running
Ultimately, the best choice between swimming and running depends on your personal preference, health conditions, and lifestyle. Consider these questions when deciding which type of exercise is right for you.
Swimming for Weight Loss: How It Works
Swimming is a refreshing and beneficial summertime activity for weight loss. It's particularly useful for those who struggle to work out in hot conditions, deal with aching joints, or have sustained injuries to their back, knees, or ankles.
Water provides resistance, requiring your entire body to work against it to move through the water. This total body workout engages both your upper and lower body, raising your heart rate and burning calories.
Swimming is a low-impact exercise, making it a viable option for individuals who are out-of-shape, getting older, or prone to pain in certain areas of their body. In addition, swimming increases your metabolism, leading to increased energy levels and more calories burned during rest and activity.
Factors Affecting Calorie Burn in Swimming
The calories you burn, and the subsequent weight you lose while swimming, depend on several factors:
- Your current weight
- Your metabolism
- How many calories you consume
- The intensity of the workout and the strokes used
Various calorie-counter apps, calculators, and gadgets can help you track your weight loss.
Creating a Swimming Workout Routine
A good workout routine is crucial for weight loss, but it must be paired with a healthy diet. Since swimming allows your whole body to work harder than on land, 30 minutes in the pool is equivalent to 45 minutes of working out outside of the pool. Aim for a total of 150 minutes a week in the pool while maintaining a healthy diet for optimal results. Consistency is key, and with a consistent water workout, you should begin seeing weight loss within 30 days.
Tips for Your Swimming Workout
Consider these tips during your swimming routine:
- Consult with your doctor first.
- Start with warming up.
- Start slow and work your way up.
- Use pool accessories like noodles and floats.
Swimming Strokes and Their Benefits
The stroke you use when swimming is an important factor in losing weight. Here are four popular swimming strokes and their benefits:
- Breaststroke: A slow-burning cardiovascular workout that burns an average of 250 calories during a 30-minute workout. It strengthens the heart and lungs and tones the thighs, triceps, upper back, lower legs, and hamstrings.
- Backstroke: A slow-burning posture-improving workout that burns an average of 250 calories during a 30-minute workout. It lengthens your spine, helps with posture, and tones the stomach, shoulders, arms, legs, and buttocks, while also developing hip flexibility.
- Freestyle: A faster workout with a high-calorie burning potential, averaging 300 calories burned during a 30-minute workout. It tones your shoulders, buttocks, and stomach and has the best impact on toning the muscles in your back.
- Butterfly: A difficult stroke to learn and master, making it not recommended for beginners. It burns an average of 450 calories during a 30-minute workout and is effective in building and toning muscles, increasing upper body strength, and improving flexibility.
Types of Water-Based Workouts
Water-based workouts can be categorized into low-intensity, moderate-intensity, and high-intensity. A mix of intensities is recommended for the best balance and results.
- Low-intensity: Great for longer workouts, stroke improvement, or recovery days. Maintain correct techniques for a longer period, increasing your heart rate and getting your body moving. Work at intervals and an effort level of 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 10.
- Moderate-intensity: The most popular workouts among swimmers, mainly aerobic, and require you to work anywhere from 70% to 80% of your maximum effort, or a level of 7 or 8 on a 1 to 10 scale.
- High-intensity: Not for beginners, these workouts alternate all-out swimming with periods of rest or recovery swims. You’ll be swimming more yards in less time, requiring a 9-or-10-level effort.
General Health Benefits of Swimming
Swimming offers numerous health benefits, including:
- Engaging nearly every major muscle group
- Increasing heart rate without putting stress on the body
- Improving strength
- Toning muscles
- Enhancing fitness
- Helping manage weight
Swimming and Cardiovascular Health
Swimming is a great form of cardio exercise, involving the heart, lungs, and circulatory system. Studies have shown that swimmers have a lower mortality risk compared to sedentary individuals, walkers, or runners. Swimming can also help lower blood pressure.
Swimming for Beginners and Those with Injuries
Swimming is accessible for newcomers to exercise, allowing individuals to go at their own pace. It’s also suitable for those with arthritis or joint injuries, as the buoyancy of water reduces stress on weight bearing joints. People who cannot take part in high impact, high resistance exercises may prefer swimming because the water gently supports the muscles.
Swimming for Individuals with Disabilities
Swimming can be an ideal exercise for people with physical disabilities because water provides resistance and support.
Swimming and Lung Function
In addition to building cardiovascular strength, swimming can help increase lung capacity and improve breathing control. The humid air of indoor pools may also help improve asthma symptoms, although some studies indicate that disinfectant chemicals used in pools can worsen the symptoms.
Swimming and Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Water keeps the limbs buoyant, so people with multiple sclerosis (MS) may benefit from the support and gentle resistance that water provides. Studies have shown that swimming can reduce pain and improve MS-related fatigue and depression.
Swimming During Pregnancy
Swimming is a recommended form of exercise for pregnant people, as the water can support the added weight and reduce joint and muscle pain. However, it's always a good idea to consult a doctor before starting any new activity during pregnancy.
Swimming and Glucose Control
Studies have shown that swimming can improve glucose control and insulin sensitivity. Low volume, high intensity intermittent swimming may be more beneficial than swimming at low intensity for longer durations.
Swimming and Sleep
Regular exercise, including swimming, can improve sleep.
Swimming and Mood
Exercise releases endorphins, which improve mood. Studies have shown that swimming can improve mood in people with dementia.
Swimming and Stress Relief
Exercise is a great way to relieve stress and anxiety. Aerobic exercise may elevate and stabilize mood and reduce tension overall. Swimming has been shown to reduce stress-induced depression.
Swimming and Heart Health
Swimming can be good for the heart, with studies showing that moderate intensity swimming training can have beneficial effects on blood pressure and the walls of the heart.
Swimming for Weight Loss: Practical Tips
Swimming aids weight loss by burning calories and setting up a more favorable hormonal environment within your body. It also boosts mental health and is a low-impact sport, making it sustainable for long-term weight loss.
Your weight significantly influences how many calories you burn while swimming. The butterfly stroke burns the most calories, followed by freestyle. However, the best stroke for weight loss is the one you enjoy doing.
Swimming can help you get a leaner midsection, but no exercise preferentially sheds fat from your belly. Weight loss comes down to calories in vs calories out over time. Consistency is key, so choose a form of swimming you enjoy.
Setting Weight Loss Goals
A well-planned goal can help you convert your thoughts into actions. Decide what your goal weight is and map out how many weeks it’ll take you to get there. Track your weight consistently, logging it every day at the same time and calculating the weekly average.
Establishing a Routine
Consistency is crucial for reaching your weight loss goals. Pencil in your swimming sessions and make them part of your routine, ideally at a time of day when unexpected events are less likely to emerge.