Swimming is an absolutely awesome sport to lose weight because it requires a lot of energy. An hour of breaststroke at a moderate pace will burn 500 kcal! It is a complete sport on all levels: it spares your joints, strengthens your muscles and maintains your cardiovascular system. Swimming to lose weight: simple and effective!
It is not swimming itself that will allow you to lose fat and refine your body, but above all the energy that you will expend in the water. Swimming is one of the most energy-intensive sports ! This can range from 400 calories burned for an hour of “cushioned” swimming to 900 calories for a high-intensity session.
A gentle sport with a relaxing effect
Unlike other types of sports, swimming is gentler because it does not cause shock (like running for example), the body being relieved of its own weight by water. The risks of injuries due to the practice of swimming are therefore extremely reduced.
Swimming is necessarily advantageous for people in fragile physical condition who wish to practice a sporting activity. For example, people in obesity situation sometimes have difficulties or contraindications to running even though swimming is strongly recommended to them.
In addition, themassaging effect of water helps fight cellulite, a major concern for many women. This also contributes to fight against the heavy legs effect that certain individuals may feel due to excessively sedentary activity, heat, excess weight, age, hormonal imbalances, etc.
After a good swimming session, you feel as relaxed as after a relaxation session. What’s more, we don’t feel heat or sweat like during regular physical exercise. This also contributes to the interest of this practice.
Endurance and strengthened muscles
The body is requested as a whole : arms, stomach, buttocks and legs are put to the test. Swimming also helps improve your cardiovascular condition (like any physical activity) and, while apnea, develops respiratory capacity.
Swimming thus contributes to harmonize the silhouette since most of the muscles are used during exercise. That said, the muscles most used depend on the type of swimming practiced:
- There breaststroke focuses on the calves, knees, abdominals, shoulders, arms and pectorals.
- There back swimming is recommended for people with back pain because it gently builds muscle and rehabilitates this painful area.
- THE crawlfor its part more intense, allows you to burn more calories and put more strain on the respiratory system and the beating of the legs.
Swimming to lose weight, yes but not only that!
In sculpting the silhouetteswimming thus represents a pleasant sporting activity but also an ally for slim down gently. If you decide to swim to lose weight, you will burn around 500 calories per hour at a moderate pace. If you change the pace and type of swimming (crawl, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, etc.), you can even consume 700 to 900 calories in one hour of practice.
Aquatic physical activity is not limited to swimming: aquabike or aquagym are very effective alternatives if you wish spend yourself in the waterwithout necessarily swimming to lose weight.
The benefits of swimming on morale
Practicing a sporting activity exerts a beneficial action on moraleif only by the endorphins secreted during exercise. Swimming allows you to let off steam. And you will inevitably rejoice in the personal effort you have made: guaranteed satisfaction and a justified feeling of pride.
Swimming even has other virtues on morale: its relaxing effect reduces stress and puts you in a good mood. If you swim outdoors, you enjoy nature (in the sea, a lake or even an outdoor swimming pool), which is also very pleasant. And when it’s hot, what better activity than swimming for you refresh ?
