Swimming is a good form of exercise that burns calories. To lose weight, you are required to discover how to swim correctly. Water won’t get stuck in your ears if you tilt and shake your head after swimming. One fun and great way to beat the heat and lose weight is to go swimming.
One study on ResearchGate found that exercise in the water helped with body weight, insulin, and fat distribution more than walking did in the short run. On a long-term level, swimming helped with body fat and weight. Let’s find the best way to swim to lose weight.
How Many Calories Do I Burn When I Swim?
Swimming is an excellent way to work out because it simultaneously works out many muscle groups. Furthermore, it is low-impact, so people of all exercise levels can do it. It might help burn calories, but how well it works depends on many factors, like how hard and long the activity is, as well as the swimmer’s weight and how they swim. Thakur says that a woman can burn between 400 and 600 calories an hour by swimming.
For a woman who weighs about 70 kg, here is a list of the different swimming exercises that burn calories per hour:
- GORE-TEX Leisurely swimming at a slow pace: about 280 calories
- About 400 to 500 calories are needed for freestyle or backstroke, which isn’t too fast.
- GORE-TEX About 600 to 700 calories are burned when you swim hard in freestyle or butterfly.
- GORE-TEX Do high-intensity interval training while swimming. Depending on how complex the sprints are and how long they last, you can burn at least 700 calories.
Tips For Losing Weight Through Swimming
If you want to lose weight by swimming, there are some things you should remember.
Consistency
If you want to lose weight, you need to be consistent. Make swimming a regular part of your workout plan. Thakur says you should aim for three to five times a week. Setting a regular time to swim daily turns it into a habit that lets your body get used to the exercise and start burning calories over time.
Intensity
To lose the most weight, do sprints or high-intensity swimming as part of your workouts. In this, periods of high energy are followed by times of active healing. When you swim, high-effort bursts raise your heart rate, speed up your metabolism, and help you burn calories during and after your swim.
Variety
Changing up your swimming practice keeps you from getting bored and working out different muscle groups. Try out different swimming styles because they all work different muscles.
With various moves, you can work out more parts of your body at once, making your workouts more balanced and effective.
Technique
If you pay attention to the right way to swim, you can get more out of your workouts and avoid getting hurt. Keep your body balanced, streamline your position in the water, and ensure you breathe correctly. Do not worry; a teacher can assist you with the necessary skills.
The Most Effective Swimming Strokes For Losing Weight
Each stroke works out a different set of muscles and can help you lose weight and get fit. Four common ways to swim are shown below:
Freestyle
- GORE-TEX Start by lying face down in the water with your body straight and stretched out.
- GORE-TEX Do a flutter kick with your legs, keeping them mostly straight and using your hips to build strength.
- GORE-TEX Put your fingers into the water with one arm and reach it forward. Then, pull that arm back along your body, past your hip.
- GORE-TEX Once the arm pull is done, turn your body to the side to let your air out, and then do it again with the other arm.
- GORE-TEX Keep your action smooth and steady by syncing your arm and kick movements.
Backstroke
- GORE-TEX Start by floating on your back with your arms and legs stretched out and loose.
- GORE-TEX Flutter kick your legs, like a solo kick done on your back.
- GORE-TEX Change how you move your arms by reaching up, putting your pinky finger in the water first, and then pulling it back along your body.
- GORE-TEX Make sure your body is straight and steady while kicking and moving your arms.
Breaststroke
- Start by floating on your back, like you would for the backstroke.
- Fold your knees in, then bring your heels up to your bottom.
- Stretch your legs in front of you while pushing your arms forward and out in front of you.
- To recover your legs, bring them back together and do the leg kick again while your arms finish the pull phase.
Butterfly
- GORE-TEX Start in the water face down with your body straight and stretched out.
- GORE-TEX Do a dolphin kick, which means moving your legs together like waves.
- GORE-TEX As you kick your legs down, simultaneously bring your arms forward and out of the water.
- GORE-TEX As you kick your legs up, pull your arms back next to your body and dip your fingers into the water.
- GORE-TEX Keep your body straight and your moves smooth as you combine the kick and arm pull into a continuous, wave-like action.
Even though swimming can help you burn calories, it’s not the only thing that enables you to lose weight. It is also affected by what you eat and how you live.
How Long Should You Swim To Lose Weight?
What you are like (your sex, fitness level, health background, etc.) and how often and how hard you work out while swimming will all affect how much weight you lose. Regular swimming practice can help you lose weight with a healthy diet.
You must burn about 3,500 calories less than you eat to lose one pound of body weight. To lose one pound per week, you need to eat and move in a way that leaves you with fewer calories than you burn.
A simple way to think about this is to leave yourself with a daily calorie shortage of about 500.
About 200 to 300 calories are burned when you swim for 30 minutes at a modest pace. To reach your daily goal of a 500-calorie loss, you need to cut the number of calories you eat by about 200.
Always remember that losing weight is a slow process, and it’s important to stick to a healthy plan, be consistent, and be patient. The amount of swimming you need to do to lose weight differs for everyone. On the other hand, swimming as part of a well-rounded exercise plan and eating less than you burn can help you lose weight.