How you can lose weight swimming

Want to know how you can lose weight swimming AND reduce stress and improve your sleep and mood in the process?

Then you’ve come to the right place!

I love swimming and until lockdown I swam at least once a week and had done for years. Now the pools are reopening again I can’t wait to get back into it on a regular basis, and with the new year on the horizon it’s also a great time to start as we mean to go on.

If you’re looking forward to getting back into swimming again too, or would like to take it up properly for the first time, in this guest post you’ll find some top tips on how you can lose weight swimming and improve your lifestyle, mood and sleeping habits at the same time.

As we grow older, our metabolism tends to slow down. This could be one of the reasons why we’re constantly gaining weight (aside from other factors that may be added to the equation!) As health advocates, one of the important things we need to look out for is maintaining the weight that’ll match our height and age. Otherwise, we’ll be facing bigger problems in the future.

In that sense, we need to take care of our bodies. This can be done by eating healthy food, getting enough rest, and doing enough exercise. Taking care of our body allows us to maintain a great outlook in life.

Enjoying the water

If you’re a health buff, there’s a chance that you’ve explored different types of workouts to achieve your goal. However, aside from lifting weights at the gym, have you considered sports? If you’re a fan of the water, swimming can be one of your go-tos.

We all know that it’s a challenge to lose weight, but swimming has proved effective in a number of instances. Aside from that, water is very therapeutic and can help calm your mind.

What happens when you swim?

It’s so fun when you’re in the water. But if you’ve noticed, it takes a lot of energy to move through it. Have you experienced getting so tired after a rigorous swim or after a fun day at the beach that it makes you want to plop down on a pillow? However, if you’re swimming as an athlete, you’re probably used to this feeling. Likewise, your competitiveness will be asking you to do more.

For those new to swimming, it’s easy to see a difference in your weight after just a few weeks. This is because you’re doing swimming for weight loss instead of just fun and short splashes, and your body is also adjusting from the activity.

Here are a few tips to promote more weight loss in swimming:

Be consistent. Weight loss doesn’t happen overnight, so you need to be consistent with your programme. To burn more calories, aim to be in the water 2.5 hours a day.
Master the right strokes. Before getting serious about swimming, make sure to know the basics so you don’t drown in the water. Likewise, there are strokes like the butterfly that surprisingly allow you to burn more calories. This stroke is usually for advanced swimmers, but if you learn to master it, this can be something that’ll help you lose weight faster.
Train at intervals. Training at intervals means swimming at different speeds. An example would be taking three laps at full speed and another three at a regular or relaxed speed. This will induce a quicker burning of fats.

Benefits of swimming

Aside from losing weight, here are some other advantages of swimming:

It’s suitable for all ages. Anyone can swim; people of all ages can perform this fat-burning activity. Thus, your age won’t be a limiting factor to explore the water.
It’s good for people with injury. For people who’ve had injuries and are having a hard time moving some parts of their body, swimming supports gentle muscle movement. You might not be able to do high-impact activities outside the water, but swimming will help you move better.
It improves sleeping habits. Swimming will take a lot of energy. Thus, after a few hours of workout, you’ll feel extremely tired. Because of this, your body will automatically tell you to rest. Likewise, you’ll sleep better as you’ll be completely knocked out from the rigorous workout you just had.
It improves your mood and reduces stress. Since you’ve been sleeping better after swimming, you’ll feel happier the next morning, allowing you to get through the day’s challenges easier. Furthermore, your stress levels are lowered and you’ll have a particularly good day, which will, in turn, improve your relationship with other people.
It’s easily accessible. You’re lucky if you have your own pool at home. But not having one won’t make your life harder. The water is easily accessible as there are a lot of pools you can visit in the community. Take your pick and enjoy your work out!

Remember, your body is a temple, which is why you should learn to take care of it and keep it clean. Exercise will help you a lot. To help make swimming even more fun, add other types of exercises in your programme, like a brick workout. This will help keep you moving and stop you getting bored!

Did you miss swimming during lockdown? Are you planning on taking it up again, or hoping to start swimming regularly for the first time? I’d love to hear about your experience!

This is a guest post.