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It is known that in order to lose weight, you need to move more. Running is contraindicated for very fat people, and sometimes walking is difficult … But swimming has no contraindications, there are only a few restrictions and a medical certificate is required that you have no skin diseases.
Why is swimming useful?
Swimming can be an excellent way to normalize body weight – provided that you exercise regularly (0 minutes / 3 times a week). When mastering the swimming technique, intense and prolonged exercise, it can be effectively used to improve the functional state of the circulatory system.
Swimming improves blood circulation, stimulates cardiac activity, strengthens the respiratory system, bone tissue, spine, forms posture, and improves overall well-being. All muscle groups participate in it, but due to the horizontal position of the body and the specificity of the aquatic environment, the load on the circulatory system in swimming is less than in running or skiing.
In addition to all of the above, swimming allows you to burn 450-600 kcal per hour.
What happens while swimming?
This is one of the most accessible sports. To achieve the necessary health-improving effect when swimming, it is necessary to develop a sufficiently high speed at which the heart rate would reach the zone of the training regime (at least 130 beats / min).
The energy supply of muscle activity during swimming has a number of features. The very stay in water (without performing any movements) causes an increase in energy consumption by 50% (compared to the level of rest), maintaining the body in water requires an increase in energy consumption by 2-3 times, since the thermal conductivity of water is 25 times higher than air. Due to the high resistance of water for 1 m distance in swimming, 4 times more energy is consumed than when walking at the same speed, i.e. about 3 kcal / kg per 1 km (when walking – 0,7 kcal / kg).
When swimming, all muscle groups work, so the body tightens well if you swim 3-4 times a week. Breathing, which matches the beat of your swimming, also contributes to weight loss.
How to swim to lose weight?
Swimming is the same aerobic workout, so it is important for weight loss to swim daily or every other day and at a fast pace. There are many swimming styles (cross, breaststroke, butterfly, frog, etc.). It doesn’t matter what style you have, it’s more important to keep a good pace and use both arms and legs. It is even better to alternate different swimming techniques, for example, swim for 6 minutes with a breaststroke, then rest for 30 seconds, after 6 minutes crawl on the back, rest again for 30 seconds, then crawl on the chest and rest again, etc. You can swim only thanks to your legs, without the participation of your hands, then do the opposite, part of the path “walk” without reaching the bottom, part of the way – run along the bottom (if the height of the pool allows), etc. You can take various water simulators and do water aerobics with them … If the pool water is cool – good, the body will spend additional energy on heating.
Swimming for weight loss takes 45-60 minutes, then your glycogen stores will be used up and the body will begin to consume fat reserves. And after the pool, you should drink a cup of green tea or plain water and eat nothing for 30-45 minutes.
When is the best time to swim?
The best swimming hours are early morning, from 7 am to 9 am, and in the evening, from 18 pm to 20 pm. The body in the morning hours is the most relaxed and susceptible to this kind of stress, because, plunging into water, you find yourself in a denser environment, and the coordination of movements and the strength of the load immediately change. This means you can swim with maximum efficiency. The evening hours also have a positive effect on the systematization of the load. The body has already received the daily load and will not react strongly to the change of environment, it will just give the maximum return of calories. Due to this, you will not only restore health, but also lose some mass. But this will happen only if you follow a diet, exclude too high-calorie foods from the diet.