topic Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise? in Wellness

Is Swimming Great Exercise?

GarryH — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 07:31:45 GMT

Is swimming laps is great exercise, however i ponder what regions of my body I'm exercising by swimming? Will it help with fat loss? If that's the case then the length of time must i need to spend in water? please people assist me !!

Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise?

beach-mom — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 07:37:57 GMT

As a swimmer I can tell you it IS great exercise! As well as getting a cardio workout, you can also tone your muscles. I'm not sure whether you're talking about a gym or another pool, but the best thing you can do is talk to a swim instructor or lifeguard and get them to tailor a program for you (number of laps, strokes to benefit certain areas, etc.). Good luck!

Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise?

ennui1 — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 07:58:17 GMT

Have you ever seen a chubby competitive swimmer?

It's nice because the water takes the strain off of your joints. Buoyancy is therapeutic.

Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise?

VaBelle35 — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 12:55:05 GMT

80% of weight loss happens in the kitchen. Exercise is great (swimming being a good one), but unless you are tracking how much you are eating and creating a calorie deficit, you won't lose weight.

Swimming (and water aerobics), as said, are great for both cardio and toning.

If you want to track how many calories you are by swimming, get a heart rate monitor that works in the water and has a chest strap (Polar brand HRMs are what I use for water aerobics). This will help you determine how long you need to work out and how hard you are working. A lot of people think they are burning more calories than they actually are and, therefore, overcompensate by eating more.

Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise?

151949 — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 14:19:09 GMT

swimming is great exercise - I swim almost every day (live in Fl) and the instructor at my prevent Diabetes class says that swimming is a great total body workout - esp for beginners. However - to tone a certain area there is no doubt you need to use resistance of some type - like the weight machines- but for over all weight loss and just to get started and get your muscles toned it is great. I swim about 10 laps in an Olympic size pool every day the weather permits. a lot of people I know swim a lot more but that is about all I have the stamina for right now. I am losing weight , but on the days I can't swim I also walk for about 45 min. It takes me about the same amount of time to swim those laps as I have to rest between laps. usually when I'm at the Y anyway to use the pool I also work out in the gym on the weights a little - to tone. I am losing 2 to 3 # a week - I can easily live with that. I recognize that I am very fortunate to live only about a city block from the YMCA.

Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise?

QueenDanceALot — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 14:20:40 GMT

Swimming is great exercise, but as has been pointed out, fat loss isn't going to happen by exercise alone. It happens primarily by how you eat. And old axiom in the weight lifting world says "You Can't Out train a bad diet" which is so very true.

Another myth is muscle "toning". There is no such thing. There is muscle building and fat loss. That is how the shape of a muscle shows. And you can't determine the shape of a muscle by how you work it. This is determined genetically.

Work hard and eat right. That's the only way to success.

Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise?

151949 — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 14:41:22 GMT

I wanted to add - if you swim at a gym or a place like a YMCA they will probably have ankle and wrist water weights you can use as you swim. they are not heavy weights - they are foam - but they give more resistance against the water and help build muscle-helps tone arms and legs. I use them a lot.

Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise?

willdob3 — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 14:49:39 GMT

It can be good exercise but, as already mentioned, fat loss is mostly a result of diet. Not just calories in/out. That is just one component.

OMGosh, KittyLouWhoToo, thank you for your "toning" comment. That word makes my skin crawl!

Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise?

QueenDanceALot — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 15:00:39 GMT

On 4/15/2014 willdob3 said:
It can be good exercise but, as already mentioned, fat loss is mostly a result of diet. Not just calories in/out. That is just one component.

OMGosh, KittyLouWhoToo, thank you for your "toning" comment. That word makes my skin crawl!

It just makes me a little crazy because it's a word that's used by so many people (mostly women) and it's meaningless.

Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise?

VaBelle35 — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 15:05:46 GMT

It's the same thing with "starvation mode." Yes it doesn't exist and is a myth, but everyone knows what you mean when you refer to it.

Consider it shorthand

Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise?

QueenDanceALot — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 15:09:25 GMT

On 4/15/2014 VaBelle35 said:
It's the same thing with "starvation mode." Yes it doesn't exist and is a myth, but everyone knows what you mean when you refer to it.

Consider it shorthand

No, not everyone knows what it means. They think it means we have to lift tiny little weights for many reps so that we "tone" instead of "build".

And it's bogus.

Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise?

willdob3 — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 15:09:58 GMT

On 4/15/2014 KittyLouWhoToo said:
On 4/15/2014 willdob3 said:
It can be good exercise but, as already mentioned, fat loss is mostly a result of diet. Not just calories in/out. That is just one component.

OMGosh, KittyLouWhoToo, thank you for your "toning" comment. That word makes my skin crawl!

It just makes me a little crazy because it's a word that's used by so many people (mostly women) and it's meaningless.

I know. It is also used a lot in marketing because so many women are afraid of the word "muscle."

Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise?

QueenDanceALot — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 15:14:32 GMT

On 4/15/2014 willdob3 said:
On 4/15/2014 KittyLouWhoToo said:
On 4/15/2014 willdob3 said:
It can be good exercise but, as already mentioned, fat loss is mostly a result of diet. Not just calories in/out. That is just one component.

OMGosh, KittyLouWhoToo, thank you for your "toning" comment. That word makes my skin crawl!

It just makes me a little crazy because it's a word that's used by so many people (mostly women) and it's meaningless.

I know. It is also used a lot in marketing because so many women are afraid of the word "muscle."

Precisely.

I've seen women at the gym for years who never get anywhere because they're afraid to use enough weight to cause muscle growth, as though lifting an appropriate weight to cause adaptation will turn them into The Hulk.

Even women who come out with books and DVDs about training talk about "toning". Well, except the ones who actually know what they're talking about.

Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise?

Cranberries — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 15:14:41 GMT

Some women think if they start a lifting program that they'll end up having an Arnold Schwarzenegger body.

Toning doesn't exist, you can't spot reduce, and wimpy little weights aren't going to do anything.

You can sometimes tell by looking at someone who's a cardio only junkie. Their bodies show it. Some of them are skinny-fat.

Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise?

QueenDanceALot — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 15:16:54 GMT

I see women all the time spending hours on the "cardio" machines at the gym when their time would be so much better spent in the weight room (no, not on the weight "machines").

The old myths just won't die.

Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise?

Cranberries — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 15:21:20 GMT

I don't belong to a gym, I have a home gym that I've built up over the years. I do have an elliptical and a treadmill but those are seldom used. If I need to knock out a quick workout I'll do some on the elliptical or some on the treadmill. Sometimes I go for walks too, more so on an off day (no weights). I LOVE boxing too. That is one of my favorite work outs, and so glad I bought the bag.

When I am not doing weights, I prefer outdoor activities, walking, biking, sometimes I go up to the community pool for a swim in the summer. I bought some tennis rackets are a garage sale that I plan to use at the park that has courts. I have no idea how to play tennis, I'm more looking forward to running around the court just hitting the tennis balls more for fun.

*edit by me. I do have one weight machine that was a first purchase to my home gym that I rarely use, though I sometimes use it for legs. I just don't want to have to take it apart and haul it all up the stairs to get rid of it. So it's staying for now!

Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise?

millieshops — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 20:18:47 GMT

Swimming is great exercise - and good for your heart, for sure - assuming, of course, you don't need a doctor's pass to get into the pool and work out. If you do, get one first.

Do you need to exercise to lose weight? I really don't think so - and that's based on my personal experience as well as what I've read. I've been a yo-yo dieter all my life. I lose weight very successfully with out a bit of exercise.

BUT- the times I have included exercise along with careful portion control and careful food choices, I've looked better, felt better, and stayed at the yo-yo low much longer. Yesterday, I met with my doctor regarding my blood readings. He's not really interested in whether I lose weight or not - although I am. He was adamant that I should be doing more exercise than I do - walking swimming, dancing, stretching - he just feels that whatever we do to move regularly gives us the health benefits. (My weight is within reason for my height and age for a change.)

Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise?

VaBelle35 — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 20:23:05 GMT

I don't understand the hostility and smugness on this thread.

As a devotee of Lou Schuler and the Venus Index, I appreciate that some of you embrace weight lifting like I do, but I don't understand the attitude.

Why not encourage the fact that someone is asking about getting healthy instead of getting up on your soap box.

Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise?

beach-mom — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 20:48:52 GMT

On 4/15/2014 willdob3 said:
On 4/15/2014 KittyLouWhoToo said:
On 4/15/2014 willdob3 said:
It can be good exercise but, as already mentioned, fat loss is mostly a result of diet. Not just calories in/out. That is just one component.

OMGosh, KittyLouWhoToo, thank you for your "toning" comment. That word makes my skin crawl!

It just makes me a little crazy because it's a word that's used by so many people (mostly women) and it's meaningless.

I know. It is also used a lot in marketing because so many women are afraid of the word "muscle."

I disagree a little. I've heard this word used since I was a teenager. The breast stroke was my specialty and still is my favorite stroke. And I have "toned" arms (and upper body strength) because of it! I guess the word has different connotations for different people.

Re: Is Swimming Great Exercise?

QueenDanceALot — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 21:42:47 GMT

On 4/15/2014 beach-mom said:
On 4/15/2014 willdob3 said:
On 4/15/2014 KittyLouWhoToo said:
On 4/15/2014 willdob3 said:
It can be good exercise but, as already mentioned, fat loss is mostly a result of diet. Not just calories in/out. That is just one component.

OMGosh, KittyLouWhoToo, thank you for your "toning" comment. That word makes my skin crawl!

It just makes me a little crazy because it's a word that's used by so many people (mostly women) and it's meaningless.

I know. It is also used a lot in marketing because so many women are afraid of the word "muscle."

I disagree a little. I've heard this word used since I was a teenager. The breast stroke was my specialty and still is my favorite stroke. And I have "toned" arms (and upper body strength) because of it! I guess the word has different connotations for different people.

The point is that the word "toned" has no meaning in physiology besides referencing tension that a muscle is under when stressed.

I have great arms from years of weight training, but I do not have "toned" arms.

Neither do you.