Current:Home > FinanceYes, swimming is great exercise. But can it help you lose weight?-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Yes, swimming is great exercise. But can it help you lose weight?
View Date:2024-12-25 22:01:52
When it comes to physical fitness, we have no shortage of options to choose from. Whether one chooses great cardio exercises such as running, jogging or jumping rope; or resistance training options like weightlifting, push-ups, pull-ups or squats; there are no shortages of workouts available.
One form of aerobic exercise that has been on the rise lately is swimming - in part because "it's easier on the body but still has most of the same health benefits that you would expect in land-based exercises," explains Hirofumi Tanaka, a professor of kinesiology and the director of the Cardiovascular Aging Research Lab at the University of Texas.
Is swimming good exercise?
In fact, as a full body workout, swimming is actually better than many land-based exercises in many ways. "Arguably swimming is a better form of exercise than many other exercises, especially for heart disease prevention," says Takana. That's because the exercise has been shown to work both your heart and your lungs and thereby trains the body to use oxygen more efficiently, per Harvard Medical School.
Chris Travers, MS, coordinator of exercise physiology and sports performance at Cleveland Clinic, praises swimming as being a "widely accessible and ageless" exercise that's also great for building and maintaining muscle mass.
Tanaka similarly points out that swimming "involves several large muscle groups," but also notes that "because it is a non-weight-bearing activity, swimming is softer and more friendly to joints." This makes it especially attractive for people with bone or joint diseases such as osteoporosis or arthritis.
Swimming has also been shown to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels; and 2017 research shows that swimming regularly decreases one's risk of early death by as much as 28%.
Is swimming a good way to lose weight?
On one hand, swimming is an excellent way to lose weight as the exercise builds muscle and muscle promotes fat loss. The exercise also burns a lot of calories. Harvard Medical School has determined that a 185-pound person burns about 420 calories swimming laps for an hour, compared to about 189 calories burned by that same person walking at a moderate pace for the same length of time. What's more, recent research found that over time, swimming leads to significant reductions in body fat and BMI.
On the other hand, "swimming in cold water stimulates appetite," says Tanaka. This occurs because humans, like other mammals, burn more energy when exposed to the cold in order to maintain normal body temperature. This expenditure of energy increases one's desire to replenish it through eating. "If you ask triathletes, they will tell you that they can eat the entire pizza after swimming," Tanaka explains, "but after running, they would be satisfied with one piece of orange. So long as one is aware of this propensity to want to overeat after swimming though (and avoids doing so!), swimming can be a great way to shed some pounds.
How often should I swim for exercise?
One of the caveats of swimming is that it burns the most calories when strokes are mastered and executed correctly - just splashing around in the water isn't going to do much for anyone. "Swimming is a skill-oriented activity, so you need to have some skills to elevate heart rate during swimming," says Tanaka. Without that, there are still aquatic exercise classes and water walking - but neither will provide the same health benefits as swimming laps.
Once you have some swim strokes down though, Travers says that swimming for 150 minutes each week - 30 minutes every weekday - certainly meets the exercise recommendations set forth by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' physical activity guidelines.
"The most important thing for most people is finding an exercise that they will enjoy doing on a regular basis," says Tanaka. For individuals still on the lookout for such an exercise, "I recommend you give swimming a try."
Weightlifting or resistance training?Learn how to build strength and muscle mass
veryGood! (757)
Related
- Suspected shooter and four others are found dead in three Kansas homes, police say
- Police officers in Maryland face lawsuit after they shoot dog who was later euthanized
- K9 trainer loses 17 dogs in house fire on Thanksgiving Day; community raises money
- Former WWE star Tammy Sunny Sytch gets over 17 years in prison for deadly DUI crash
- Today Reveals Hoda Kotb's Replacement
- Businesses where George Floyd was killed sue Minneapolis, saying police are not protecting the area
- Sports Illustrated owner denies using AI and fake writers to produce articles
- Travis Kelce Reacts to Taylor Swift Showing Her Support for His Career Milestone
- Judge sets date for 9/11 defendants to enter pleas, deepening battle over court’s independence
- The Essentials: 'Wish' star Ariana DeBose shares her Disney movie favorites
Ranking
- Beyoncé has released lots of new products. Here's a Beyhive gift guide for the holidays
- Jason Kelce's Wife Kylie Reveals What It's Really Like Marrying into His and Travis Kelce's Family
- U.S. moves to protect wolverines as climate change melts their mountain refuges
- Hurricane-Weary Floridians Ask: What U.N. Climate Talks?
- Cleveland Browns’ Hakeem Adeniji Shares Stillbirth of Baby Boy Days Before Due Date
- Sewage spill closes 2-mile stretch of coastline at Southern California’s Laguna Beach
- CIA Director William Burns returns to Qatar in push for broader hostage deal
- Why Penelope Disick Complained About “Braggy” Kourtney Kardashian’s Pregnancy
Recommendation
-
MVSU football player killed, driver injured in crash after police chase
-
Inflation in Europe falls to 2.4%. It shows interest rates are packing a punch
-
Biden administration proposes biggest changes to lead pipe rules in more than three decades
-
Note found in girl's bedroom outlined plan to kill trans teen Brianna Ghey, U.K. prosecutor says
-
Patrick Mahomes Breaks Silence on Frustrating Robbery Amid Ongoing Investigation
-
Thousands of fake Facebook accounts shut down by Meta were primed to polarize voters ahead of 2024
-
Love dogs? This company says it has the secret to longer life for larger canines.
-
South Koreans want their own nukes. That could roil one of the world’s most dangerous regions