Swimming for Weight Loss

The warmer weather is finally here but sweating it out in the steamy summer humidity is not always a fun way to lose weight.  Even a brisk walk on a hot day can prove to be a bit much ... so swimming is the obvious answer, right?

If you are swimming primarily for weight loss and not just for health and fitness reasons, this form of exercise may not be your best option. 

Now the reasons for this are not fully understood but here are some theories:

	Swimming in cold water stimulates your appetite so that you want to eat more.
	Because water cools the body so much, it is thought that the bodies of swimmers have a handy layer of fat under the skin for insulation.
	When swimming, your weight is supported by water so you don’t burn as much energy to move.
	Swimming fast requires a high output of energy which burns glycogen instead of fat indicating that prolonged exercise at a lower intensity is better for fat burning.

So it does seem that if you want to lose weight, you’re better off walking around a pool than swimming in it.  Sorry to break the bad news! 

However, this doesn’t mean that swimming for weight loss should be totally discounted as part of your regular exercise regime.  It’s just that it’s worth bearing in mind that it will be more difficult to lose weight from swimming than with most other land-based exercises, except cycling which like swimming isn’t weight bearing.

The other thing to consider is that few of us are able to maintain the same intensity in the pool as we can when we do a brisk walk.  If we could, it’s likely that we’d burn as many, if not slightly more calories swimming, making swimming ideal for weight loss.

So, what to do?

We recommend swimming if you love to swim. Despite its dubious benefits for weight loss, if you enjoy the activity then you should do it.  Certainly, it’s better than sitting on the couch in the air conditioning!  And remember, swimming is a great form of low impact exercise and ideal for those who are extremely overweight.  What’s more, it’s a great cardio workout.

So, don’t throw in the towel.  Swim, swim away!