Swimming for weight loss

– If you want to lose weight, tighten muscles, acquire beautiful shapes with the help of exercises in the pool, you should first of all pay attention to the swimming technique. Even if you float well, take three or four lessons from the instructor. He will teach you all the tricks: he will show you how to breathe correctly, which muscles to strain, how to hold your head – there are many nuances. Only then can you start independent training.

You need to swim with an empty stomach, otherwise there may be unpleasant consequences for your digestion. The fact is that the water puts pressure on the abdominal cavity, and the food in the stomach is strongly affected. To avoid problems, eat a salad or lean soup 2-2,5 hours before class. You can have a snack about an hour after your workout. When doing this, opt for fruit or low-fat yogurt.

The best time to exercise is between 16 pm and 19 pm. In the morning, the body is not yet ready for the load, and in the evening it already needs rest, so exercises at this time will not bring results. In addition, you will have time to dine. It is not for nothing that all competitions are held at this time.

With you to the pool, take a certificate from a therapist, a sports swimsuit, a hat, glasses, slippers, a towel, soap and a washcloth. Do not wear a bikini with frills, belts and other decorative details for classes – leave it all for the south beach. You came to the pool to train, which means that nothing should distract you. Therefore, a sports bathing suit that fits tightly to the body is optimal. Never leave jewelry on yourself – experience shows that they often remain at the bottom. Invest in a quality swimsuit, beanie, and glasses that are perfect for you. This will make the workout more effective – after all, you will not think about falling straps or bubbles swelling on your stomach, but only about swimming. By the way, the uniform should not only be of high quality, but also properly worn. And if everything is clear with a swimsuit, then problems arise with a hat. Very often, ladies, putting on a hat, flirtatiously release bangs on their foreheads. But then there is no point in the process itself. After all, we put on a “rubber helmet” in order to first of all protect the hair roots from loosening by streams of water. Therefore, the hair must be carefully hidden. If you have them long and lush, you do not need to pull them tightly into a bunch or build some kind of a Babel tower under a hat. Just make a ponytail and style your hair in a spiral around the base. It is both convenient and beautiful. And further. Be sure to fold the wavy edge of the cap inward – this will prevent water from entering the hair. Finally, I want to remind you that shower caps or hair dyes are completely unsuitable for the pool.

Unfortunately, in the pool we can be trapped by such a nuisance as a fungus, and for this, one scale from the skin of a sick person is enough. Once you get a fungus, it is not so easy to get rid of it. Therefore, in no case should you go barefoot in the pool, shower or sauna. Unfortunately, this is not always possible, especially for children. Therefore, experts recommend lubricating the feet with an antifungal cream before visiting the pool, thereby protecting them from the penetration of pathogenic bacteria. You can choose Mifungar antifungal cream. It is colorless and odorless, does not leave marks on clothes, is quickly absorbed into the skin and is not afraid of water. Its antifungal effect lasts 72 hours. But the most important thing is that it practically does not penetrate into the bloodstream and has no contraindications.

Make sure to take a warm shower before diving into the pool. It replaces the light warm-up before swimming. Under the skin, which is exposed to hot water from the shower, blood circulation is activated, and the muscles are slightly warmed up. If you jump into the water without such a warm-up, there is a high probability that your lower leg or foot muscles will begin to contract, and this is not only painful, but also dangerous.

Bad news for relaxed swimmers. As you know, immersed in water after a warm shower, you find yourself in a completely different temperature environment, which is colder than your body by an average of 10 degrees. The body is trying to cope with the temperature drop and somehow get warm. And since you do not want to help him with active movements, he begins to strenuously store fat in order to protect himself from the cold. That is why seals and walruses slowly swimming in cold water accumulate an impressive layer of fat.

To lose weight and strengthen muscles, you need to exercise regularly, at least 3 times a week. At the same time, it is necessary to swim without stopping for at least 40 minutes, trying to maintain maximum speed. It is optimal to pass a distance of 1000-1300 meters during this time. Change your style every 100 meters. When swimming, try to focus as much as possible on your sensations. Feel how the streams of water flow around your body, how the muscles work in harmony. This is how you will improve, develop strength and coordination. Each swimming style puts a good strain on the muscles. The champion in energy consumption is a crawl that helps to burn up to 570 kilocalories per hour. It is especially suitable for those looking to tighten the muscles of the arms and legs. Breaststroke is slightly inferior, burning about 450 kilocalories, but it perfectly develops the respiratory system and trains the muscles of the shoulder girdle.

After training, take a calm step – half an hour of walking will help consolidate the result and prepare for rest. Take a warm shower at home and massage your body with a jet of water.

There is another secret: swimming will only be beneficial if you enjoy it.

“Can you lose weight by swimming?” – We asked this question to the famous American fitness trainer, consultant of the website iVillage.com on the Internet Liz Niporant. And that’s what she said.

– Swimming is the perfect workout. With complete safety for the ligaments and joints, it gives an excellent load on the muscles and the cardiovascular system. Plus, many studies show it’s also a great burner of excess fat and calories. However, there are experts who disagree with this opinion. For example, most researchers who believe that swimming does not contribute to weight loss are based on the fact that professional swimmers lose less energy during swimming than with other types of activity. However, research. a 1993 Princeton Testing Service found that champion swimmers expend 25% more energy than runners. However, we are not going to win the Olympics, we just want to lose weight and tighten muscles. It is impossible to achieve this by slowly cutting the water from side to side. You lose fat when a large number of muscles are actively working. How can this be achieved? There is only one way out: swim correctly. Once you master good movement technique and, importantly, breathing in water, you can swim faster, longer, and farther, and thus burn more calories. The only drawback of swimming is the relatively small load on the legs. This problem has two aspects. First, the muscles in the legs are much larger than the muscles in the upper body, so we do not load most of the muscle mass while swimming. Secondly, swimming is a non-shock exercise, which is great for recovering from injury or joint disease, but not very good for maintaining bone density. Therefore, I recommend supplementing your pool session with strength training for your lower torso. You can, for example, do a series of squats and lunges forward with dumbbells in hand, pedal a stationary bike, roller-skate, and attend aerobics lessons. I advise you to visit the pool 3-5 times a week, swimming for 20-60 minutes. If you feel that the effect is too small or progress is too slow, try alternating loads. For example, on the first day you are swimming, on the second day you walk intensively on a treadmill with an incline or walk at a fast pace in hilly terrain. When you are in good physical shape, do not stop and try triathlon – a combination of running, swimming and cycling. This is a wonderful workout for all muscles and a great way to stay in good shape.

Do you know that…

• Water holds up to 90% of your weight and protects your joints from damage. In addition, it helps to avoid muscle soreness after exercise. At the same time, it gives them an excellent load, since it surpasses air by 14 times in density.
• Those who suffer from back pain or osteochondrosis simply need regular swimming. In this case, osteochondrosis is treated only by intensive swimming in a sports style. Better yet, alternate between several styles as you practice.
• If your leg is cramped, don’t panic. Try to roll over onto your back, lie down in the water, and relax. Then gently move your foot in different directions. If the spasm persists, grab the side and massage the muscle vigorously.
• Doctors recommend starting swimming after undergoing breast removal surgery. In this case, all swimming styles are suitable for medical gymnastics, but first of all – breaststroke.