SWIMMING!

mzjandiace
mzjandiace Posts: 162
edited September 27 in Fitness and Exercise
Okay, I'm a big sista and even tho' there are myths I am on of the ones that I love:heart: to swim, :smile: in fact I was a lifeguard in High School. I make it a point to teach my kids to swim. My question is this, how come you burn more calories swimming for twenty minutes then walking for 20 minutes. Trust me I don't mind, 'cause I can stay in the water all day!
Any info would be great!

Replies

  • gaeljo
    gaeljo Posts: 223 Member
    Swimming is a full body workout, your heart rate gets up there higher because oxygen is only available to you when you surface, vs walking where you can take a breath whenever you want to. The higher the heartrate the more you burn, baby! I LOVE swimming!
  • HJSilva
    HJSilva Posts: 29
    This is just a thought but...you use your entire body swimming and more of your lower body walking.
  • bnfelton
    bnfelton Posts: 1
    probably water resistance and it uses all your muscles!!! I love swimming too and feel so weightless in the water its awesome!
  • LesliePierceRN
    LesliePierceRN Posts: 860 Member
    Swimming burns more calories because water is more dense than air to move through, so you engage all of your muscles to do it.
  • x0xGranzx0x
    x0xGranzx0x Posts: 2 Member
    The resistance moving against the water gives more of a muscle workout, without straining your body!! :happy:
  • zudleymarie
    zudleymarie Posts: 100 Member
    I swim almost every day, and it has worked WONDERS on my diet and exercise plan. My joints are kind of bad, so this really helps keep my knees from hurting and things like that. Right now, I burn about 497 calories doing a half an hour of intense lap swimming. It would vary person to person, but it's still fantastic! :) I highly recommend it.
  • Sasha_Bear
    Sasha_Bear Posts: 625 Member
    Yep all of the above answers are correct, I love swimming too my favorite workout!
  • Sidneylog
    Sidneylog Posts: 15
    I'm a terrible swimmer, so when I'm in the water I find that fear of drowing uses quite a few calories :)
  • Sidneylog
    Sidneylog Posts: 15
    I'm a terrible swimmer, so when I'm in the water I find that fear of drowing uses quite a few calories :)

    Or even 'drowning', but 'drowing' can be just as bad :)
  • kennysrush
    kennysrush Posts: 124
    I swim three mornings a week and love it!

    The important thing is the resistance. As you improve as a swimmer, you want to add more resistance with effort, kick boards, leg floats, etc. Here is a great swimmer's Web site for everyone to check out!

    http://swimsmooth.com/
  • mzjandiace
    mzjandiace Posts: 162
    AWESOME! thanks for all the info.
    Usually when I'm out the pool about 20min later, I can feel the muscles in my leg.
    Today I did body lifts on the side of the pool face forward, something I COULD never do out of the water
    and let me tell you my shoulders are still burning!
    GOOD BURN tho'
    @Sidneylog, I was over cracking up!
  • Flyntiggr
    Flyntiggr Posts: 898 Member
    There are physiological reason as well. Target HR decreases by about 10 bpm in water, and max decreases by 10 to 30 bpm. They aren't sure why, but think it has to do with a lower body temperature and the buoyancy from the water. So your heart is beating slower, but pushing a greater volume of blood. It also helps your body learn to use oxygen more efficiently, which helps your land based workouts....
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