Anyone use Swimming as main exercise?

Swimming is one of the most complete exercises you can do as it involves all the major muscle groups. Its also a very low impact exercise that doesn't put any strain on your joints. So if you can, swimming is probably the best you can get for exercising.

Anything motivate you, keep you happy and keep workout. Don't see why not. Just keep in mind that swimming is cardio type workout, make sure get your weight training (2-3 time) a week as well. Good luck

I swim almost daily and it must be doing something! But I also walk a few miles a day , do the Shred a few times a week and am trying the C25k. Everything together is working. I swam laps for an hour today and am totally feeling it.

Swimming laps is a great exercise, both as cardio (you're going pretty constantly, you might not realize how much it gives you a workout because of controlled breathing) and as toning (water = resistance!!). But it doesn't help much with bone density - add some regular weights or medium impact activity outside the pool once is a while to help there.

Check out swimming laps in the exercise section, it'll give you a pretty good idea of what you would burn doing that.

I was a swimmer in high school, love swimming but dont even think of it as something that will ever help me with pure weight issues. Its strange. It has a different affect on your appetite than other exercise, Ive read some articles that say this is because the water temperature makes your body temperature drop and your body freaks out and wants food....all day...more. I never gained weight from swimming but I was swimming 1.5 hrs a day plus an hr of land training at the time and the scale would nOT budge down. Proportionately I was not eating that much either. It makes you ravenous. I also think somehting about the resistance on your whole body at once just makes your body want to pack on muscle immediately..which isnt bad...just doesnt help with weight. Its really great to tone, again, i was in the best shape of my life when I swam, but dont expect to have frustration with weight if you decide to use it as your main exercise. Ive tried it as exercise for weight loss on more moderate terms as well and watching what I ate and it did not work out. Everyones different who know s it could work for you but everyone Ive talkd to about it seems to agree with me so far. Good luck!

I wold love to know too! I love swimming....but it's more of a fun thing to do rather then a workout..so I worry I'm not working out ! lol! For those that do swim as a workout..what do you do? Laps free style? a whole lot of doggie paddling? treading water?

Now Chicadee... you know I am a swimming machine down 9 lbs. To date. I have a leg (my right) that is really injured. I do that and cycling 10-30 min. Once a week and weights once a week.

I swim, and I don't know anything about it not working as a weight loss tool. As other people said, you have to push yourself to beat your lap time and concentrate on doing your stroke correctly to most effectively increase your aerobic capacity and your strength. (Many people do "half strokes" and take their arm out of the water too soon, or kick from the knee and not the hip, so they aren't using as many muscle groups as they could.)

I don't ONLY swim, so my weight loss could be coming from everything else except swimming, but I sort of doubt that.

I'd be curious to see if there are any studies to back up these claims either way.

Can you get a free week trial membership at the gym? Swim for a week, don't do any other fitness, and leave your net calories the same (including eating back your swimming calories) and see if you lose weight.