When summer is at its peak, swimming can be one of the best cardiovascular exercises to shed excess kilos and shape up. But an idle dip won’t be adequate. Check out some key tips to lose weight while swimming and the best strokes that can help you achieve your fitness goals.
While summer suppresses your appetite and this can help in your weight loss journey, the scorching mercury also means lethargy when it comes to hitting the gym or going for a run. Swimming, therefore, can be a perfect summer exercise where you can splash in the water and enjoy yourself while you try and lose weight, or simply maintain yourself. Swimming is also a low-impact exercise, and this means it’s great for people with injuries or painful joints. Here are some tips to lose weight with swimming, the strokes that will help you the most, and the importance of a good diet.
Weight Loss With Swimming: 7 Key Tips
1. Aim For An Early Morning Swim
Apart from being a great form of cardio, it’s a full-body workout as well. It’s best if you can swim in the early morning. In a state of fast, a swim will best help utilize the stored fat as energy.
2. Swim Hard And Fast
A leisurely dip might feel heavenly especially with the mercury soaring but won’t really help you lose those extra kilos. You need to swim harder and faster to keep your heart rate up, especially once you are past the initial stage of starting to swim.
3. Swim 4-5 Days A Week
Just like walking, jogging, or any other form of cardio, consistency is key. Experts say to aim for four to five days a week for the best results when it comes to weight loss.
4. Join A Swim Class
The right pace and right technique of swimming can go a long way in ensuring weight loss. Consult a fitness trainer and get yourself enrolled in a swim class for the best results.
5. Mix And Match
Just like any other form of exercise, following the same routine in swimming can lead to monotony and this can make it less effective. Switch your swim routine and technique.
6. Incorporate Water Aerobics Into Routine
Water aerobics is an excellent low-stress exercise that will help you tone up. You can take up this form of exercise on days when you want to take a break from taking laps.
7. Use Water Weights
If weight loss is your main aim, water dumbbells can work wonders. Use them in between laps to do bicep curls to build strength and endurance.
Best Swimming Strokes To Lose Weight
Butterfly: This is the most demanding stroke and helps you lose maximum calories – a 30-minute workout can burn an average of 450 calories. However, it’s not advisable for beginners.
Breaststroke: A 30-minute workout can help you lose up to 250 calories. It helps in toning the thighs, lower legs, and triceps and is good for the heart and lungs.
Backstroke: Like the breaststroke, here also you can burn around 250 calories in 30 minutes. It helps in toning your stomach, shoulders, arms, legs, and buttocks and also aids in bettering your posture.
Freestyle: This provides a faster workout possibility and a 30-minute session can burn around 300 calories. It helps to tone your back muscles, shoulders, buttocks, and stomach.
Focus On Diet
Just like any form of exercise, remember swimming will not yield results if it’s not accompanied by a balanced diet. If you keep eating junk and processed food, you will keep gaining kilos that exercising may not be able to help. Also, the important thing to remember is swimming takes a lot of energy and a swim in cold water will increase your appetite substantially. Make sure to eat healthily and stay away from unhealthy snacking.
