Swimming Calories Burned

tcampbellus
tcampbellus Posts: 11 Member
edited September 21 in Fitness and Exercise
I have made a point to spending at least 60 minutes in the pool each day. I make sure that I am moving the entire time and spend the whole time in the end that I can't reach the bottom. This way I am always treading water or moving my arms and legs. How do I count that on calories burned? The most relevant one in the database says 713 calories. It doesn't seem like I would burn that much with the level that I am doing. Especially when the mile and half trail I have been walking is rating at about the same calories burned. (I'm almost dead at the end of the walk. Smiling and proud but dead none the less. : )

Does someone have an idea why that calorie burn would be so much higher? Does anyone have a more accurate count that I might be able to use?

Thanks,
Tamara

Replies

  • nleosh
    nleosh Posts: 8
    Tamara, I agree that's a lot of calories to burn in an hour and doesn't seem realistic for someone who is treading water. Not sure which exercise entry you're using but try: swimming, treading water, moderate effort. At my weight, that gives me 434 cals burned for a full 60 minutes and it looks like I weigh about 30lbs less than you do. I feel that number is pretty realistic because I actually work up a sweat in the pool which is weird. Try using some water dumbells to increase your resistance and that will tone your arms a little too. Good luck to you!!
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    Well, I swim quite a bit. And this is just the case with me. But after swimming (just general playing around) for several hours a rarely feel tired when getting out of the pool. However, an hour later the fatigue hits like a ton of bricks.

    Swimming does burn a lot of calories, but my HRM doesn't work in the water so I'll never really know.
  • kimberly428
    kimberly428 Posts: 237
    hmmmm, when I do my aerobics water class for 60 min I burn about 270 BUT the one lady and I were talking and she said she burns 1400 (this is according to the gym software) and said she thought it was because she had more weight on her...
  • SugarHi
    SugarHi Posts: 452
    I lap swim 3 days a week for 90 minutes each time and burn roughly 855 calories each time. You're burning more calories in the water. A) water creates resistnece. B) you're constantly moving. You could do a google search but I'd say you're racking in close to between 400 and 500 in the hour. Here use this site! http://www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist3.htm
  • tcampbellus
    tcampbellus Posts: 11 Member
    Thanks! You were all very helpful. The weight does make a big difference on calories burned. And you were completely right, the exhaustion hits a little while after your out of the pool. I've always attributed it to the az sun but I added simple resistance to my arms today and I am feeling the burn.

    The site http://www.everydayhealth.com/calories-burned-swimming.htm had an option that seemed more appropriate and lowered the count to what seems more appropriate. However, I'm glad to see that it burns as much as it does.

    Thanks again!
  • scott24
    scott24 Posts: 132
    I'm so glad you asked that question, too. I just got home from the Y where my 8 y/o and I will spend all of our hour and a half in the deep end, either diving for diving sticks or doing little swim sprints. Since he's not allowed in the lap lanes due to his age, we make the best of what is often an empty deep end of the pool. Tonight I leaned against the wall and did 10 minutes of forceful underwater kicking, as I have been feeling guilty about the calorie allotment I've been getting when I enter in pool time.

    While I don't feel tired in the water, I must admit I feel my breathing is more aggressive while treading water continually. The water (for me, anyways) eliminates any feeling of perspiration which would normally be my only other indicator of physical exertion. At my size it doesn't take much to make me breathe heavy. I really appreciate you asking the question and also all the great answers that followed.:happy:
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