Swimming

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melissasue0317
melissasue0317 Posts: 338 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all! I have been contemplating going swimming laps for cardio prior to work (0530-0630ish). I am obese and enjoy swimming, years ago was a pretty decent swimmer.

My question is, is this a truly good source of cardio if I am not the fastest or greatest swimmer yet? My PCP advised me to add some weight training or swimming in with my walking to help burn calories but to also add lean muscle.

Any advice would be great from you experienced MFP's!

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  • synchrohobbit
    synchrohobbit Posts: 58 Member
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    Yes! The trick is, at the beginning, to take it slow so you are able to do a longer, more sustained swim...if you haven't swam in a while, the breathing can be tricky, but it will get there. I would highly recommend water aerobics as well. Your heart rate may not get up as high as it would on land (this has to do with the buoyancy in the water) but you can go pretty hard for a decent chunk of time, even as a beginner.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,662 Member
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    doesn't really matter how fast you are, as long as you are moving at a pace that challenges you and brings up your heart rate you will burn good calories.
  • bebuji
    bebuji Posts: 1
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    I to am overweight, and I love to swim. I think this would be great because I just added it back into my daily routine. All my years of swimming I have noticed that in the spring and summer time I lose more upper body fat and gain lean muscle. The trick is to make sure you use your entire body, even if you go slow. Extend your arms completely and kick your legs. For me when I swim i really become in sync with my body. #just keep moving

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