Swimming and diet

To lose weight the energy you expend must outweigh the input. So, the energy you use swimming must not be compensated by an increased amount of food taken if you are trying to lose weight.

Recent evidence suggests one of the reasons for appetite increase in the sea is the temperature of the water. Cold water is a far greater stimulant to appetite than warm water.

Recreational swimming doesn’t have a great reputation for weight reduction compared with other forms of aerobic exercise such as jogging and cycling. It said to burn less fat than land-based workouts.

However, swimming has other enormous benefits, such as boosting strength, stamina and suppleness as well as providing a great cardiovascular workout with much less risk of injury as the natural buoyancy minimises the damage to joints.

One of the problems with swimming is that the effect of a good swim increases the appetite - as anyone who goes for a swim in the sea and gets out starving can tell you - so it is very important to regulate what you eat as well.

A gentle swim without raising the pulse a great deal doesn’t use much energy. Elite swimmers, on the other hand, have been shown to burn off 25% more energy than elite runners at maximum intensity for the same period of time.

You only have to look at their excellent physiques to realize they don’t carry any excess weight. Indeed some of the British Olympic team have as little as 4% of their body weight as fat!

So, where does all this leave the average person who wants to use swimming as part of a weight reducing exercise programme?

Well, a few lengths of gentle breaststroke without elevating the pulse rate much isn’t going to burn off many calories, although it will have some of the other benefits outlined above for those people who aren’t very fit.

Water exercise is ideal for people who are overweight or have orthopaedic problems as the natural buoyancy makes exercise easier. You only weighing a tenth of your normal weight in the water.

It is necessary to swim at sufficient intensity for a sufficient duration to raise your pulse rate. You need to do this at least two-three times per week. In order to sustain this technique it is very important to improve stroke proficiency. Lessons could help and it would enable you to exercise for longer. CLICK HERE to learn more about lessons.

When your strokes have improved and a certain level of fitness has been attained, you could then progress to interval training using a pace clock. This will enable a greater intensity of effort and help you to use up more calories. Using a variety of strokes exercises all muscle groups. Butterfly and breaststroke use the most energy.

It is best not to diet too drastically as you won’t have enough energy to exercise and aim at a gradual and sustained weight reduction by changing eating habits. Drink plenty of fluids during the swim session with some glucose added, as this will be quickly burned off and provide instant energy.

A factor to remember if you choose to tone up your body by swimming is that it will increase muscle bulk whilst replacing fat. This means you may not lose weight. The specific gravity of muscle to fat is one to 0.7 - some track athletes are actually overweight using weight as the sole parameter. This is due to muscle bulk.

However, your body fat level will fall as measured with skin fold thickness, or the 'pinch test' as it is also known. Swimming tones up all muscle groups so the effect may be greater than with  other sports.

If your goal is weight reduction then it is best to supplement a swimming regimen with other aerobic exercise. Not many people swim for more than an hour and walking, gardening or cycling, which are also good aerobic exercises, can be pursued for longer.

Want more ideas on how to use swimming for weight loss? Visit the “Shape Up and Tone” section of Swimfit, the programme that helps you structure your time in the pool.