Swimming: Not for Immediate Weight Loss by Medimanage.com

As days become longer and the nights turn shorter, as the sun smiles bright and stays up until late evenings, as you witness the onset of mangoes and melons, and get your sunscreens out of the packs, you know summer is here! And in summer, one of the coolest ways to stay fit is through swimming! In this hot season take the plunge into the pool, stay cool and find out why swimming is a seaworthy way to fitness and an interesting option to the boring equipments and conventional exercises in your gym.

I was looking for something that could help me burn calories; tone me up and would be fun to do and that is how I decided to swim!

Why you must swim?

Swimming is a great physical activity, as it provides you with the cardio benefits of running and also paves way for you to achieve strength building benefits. It is a great way to build muscles and besides, there are umpteen other health benefits on offer once you decide todive-

Firstly, while swimming, all muscle groups are worked simultaneously, providing a total body workout that is at the same time, refreshing and cool especially during hot summer months. It is also a form of endurance training that elevates the heart rate and stimulates circulation. Swimming is also well known as an excellent cardiovascular workout and that which provides a thorough exercise to your lungs. During lap swimming, breathing typically occurs every few strokes and between strokes, the breath is held underwater. This is an excellent exercise which increases lung capacity over time. Swimming, when done in a well-ventilated pool environment, can help children and adults deal with asthma as the increased lung capacity gained from swimming and the inhalation of humid air surrounding the pool can both help improve lung function and thereby control asthma. Swimming helps maintain the blood pressure and cholesterol of a person, thus ensuring the well being of his/her heart. People of all ages can enjoy swimming as a workout

But, besides the very many benefits it offers, there has always been a growing debate as to whether swimming is good as a weight loss activity. Let's find out

"Swimming does not lead to instant weight loss" - Dr Shweta Iyengar

Dr Iyengar, a well known Dietician explains, why swimming, by itself, cannot promise weight loss. She says, "Swimming is a great form of exercise for fitness and endurance levels. It also helps in toning muscles, without causing muscle soreness. However, swimming is not exactly an exercise for weight loss, what it does is it shapes and tones your body which indirectly burns fat.

Swimming can be used for weight loss over a long term. But if you want to see weight loss signs in the immediate or short term, then swimming is not recommended. It is an aerobic kind of an exercise which at the same time, tones up your muscles".

"Swimming alone cannot lead to weight loss"

Dr Iyengar explains that any kind of exercise would help a person lose only 500 to 700 calories. Exercise alone cannot help in weight loss. The best way towards a consistent and a stable weight loss regime would be to add swimming as a cross training activity. When you are bored with running, treadmill or other aerobic workouts, turn to swimming for a change to continue your cardio training. But only swimming will not show you benefits, it is only when it is coupled with other forms of exercises, will you see the results.

However, the best way to lose weight is to vary your activities. A workout plan that incorporates different cardio activities (like swimming and running, or swimming and biking, etc) and strength training (such as lifting weights) is very effective and easy to stick to because you won't get bored with it!

"For weight loss over a long term, swimming must be done in a sustained manner"

Calories spent during swimming coupled with resistance training leads to a reduction in overall body fat and an increase in muscle toning. Over time, increased metabolism derived from the replacement of fat with muscle can lead to a sizeable weight loss. This means that swimming is great for overall fitness, heart health and when done in a sustained manner over a long term period it promotes weight loss through the formation of lean muscle groups.

"Swimming must be clubbed with the right diet plan" Mickey Mehta

Mickey Mehta, India's leading Holistic health and fitness guru, says, "Swimming is an activity that provides a person with a full body workout, and also works on the abdominal muscles. It tones the body and boosts stamina. Moreover, swimming, being a cardio workout, also helps in weight loss and burns calories.

But weight loss through swimming, can be effective only when combined with the right diet plan, as any exercise that is not complimented with the right nutrition, would not yield weight loss benefits at all". Also, it is important not to overeat after swimming, and especially not to indulge in high fat foods like burgers etc.

"The heat load"

The heat generated during any exercise, be it cycling, running, or even dancing, is beneficial and boosts fat loss. After any intense workout sweat pours from our pores, and there's just so much heat emanating from the body. But when we swim, this "heat load" is not present. Although you are heating up while swimming, the cool environment of the water takes this heat load away. That's why even though you're actually sweating when you're swimming, there's no way you can feel it.

Scientists believe that this lack of heat load makes swimming an inferior form of a cardio workout.

The amount of time you spend swimming depends on your fitness level, but most experts recommend about 30 minutes of cardio a few times a week. To read more about Swimming: Not for Immediate Weight Loss by Medimanage.com

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