Swimming

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LittleChipin
LittleChipin Posts: 102 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone. I absolutely hate running, ellipticals, bikes etc. So I decided to try out swimming. Except I'm rubbish at it. I cant swim underwater without my nose plugged so no fancy strokes here, but I swim back and forth, sometimes with a board and without (plenty of kicking and arm movement). I feel fairly pooped when I'm done (I do about 30-40 minutes). But I'm far from the goggles and swim cap pros I often see. My question is, do you think that's enough cardio? I do 30 minutes of weight lifting prior to my swim, but because I'm a bad swimmer I worry it isn't enough..

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  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Current US recommendations: "Get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of both, preferably spread throughout the week."

    Depending on how often you do this swimming and what other activities are in your life, it's very possible that it enough cardio to meet current recommendations.

    That's the basic recommendation for fitness. There are other ways to measure "enough," but they're very subjective. Do you enjoy the amount of cardio you're doing? Do you feel your overall fitness is increasing? To me, 30-40 minutes regularly and then feeling "pooped" sounds pretty good, even if you're not wearing a swim cap!

    I try not to judge my fitness by how bad I look compared to people who are great at it, but by my enjoyment and personal progress.

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    I suggest that you consider taking an adult swim class to learn proper swim methods. Swimming is all about technique and it will make your time more fun and less exhausting. Proper form will actually make your swim workout more effective. The Y always has these and other pools probably do as well. You can learn to swim at any age and ability level.
    For starters, you will learn to breathe out through your nose under water!
  • Bari_Tone
    Bari_Tone Posts: 45 Member
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    lorrpb wrote: »
    I suggest that you consider taking an adult swim class to learn proper swim methods. Swimming is all about technique and it will make your time more fun and less exhausting. Proper form will actually make your swim workout more effective. The Y always has these and other pools probably do as well. You can learn to swim at any age and ability level.
    For starters, you will learn to breathe out through your nose under water!

    ^^^THIS^^^

    I wasn't always a "goggles and swim cap" person. I started out doing side-stroke, breast-stroke, back-stroke, dog-paddle...whatever floated me down the pool and back. Don't worry about what stroke you are doing...just do something and keep moving. You will be surprised...your stroke will improve quickly.

    Also - SLOW DOWN - distance swimming for a workout is not a race. I could never swim free-style very far until I slowed down. Yesterday I swam 1,800 yards free-style (a baby bit over a mile) in 39 minutes. I was getting lapped by some of the "goggles and swim cap" crowd, but who cares :-)

  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
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    LittleChipin wrote: »
    Hey everyone. I absolutely hate running, ellipticals, bikes etc. So I decided to try out swimming. Except I'm rubbish at it. I cant swim underwater without my nose plugged so no fancy strokes here, but I swim back and forth, sometimes with a board and without (plenty of kicking and arm movement). I feel fairly pooped when I'm done (I do about 30-40 minutes). But I'm far from the goggles and swim cap pros I often see. My question is, do you think that's enough cardio? I do 30 minutes of weight lifting prior to my swim, but because I'm a bad swimmer I worry it isn't enough..

    In addition to "take an adult swim class" (or a private one, even if it isn't advertised at your swim facility, if you ask it can be arranged.)...

    The answer to "is that enough cardio"? is "depends on what your goal is".

    And don't worry about the "goggles and swim cap crowd" judging --they are too focused on their own workout to care about your workout.
  • LittleChipin
    LittleChipin Posts: 102 Member
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    lorrpb wrote: »
    I suggest that you consider taking an adult swim class to learn proper swim methods. Swimming is all about technique and it will make your time more fun and less exhausting. Proper form will actually make your swim workout more effective. The Y always has these and other pools probably do as well. You can learn to swim at any age and ability level.
    For starters, you will learn to breathe out through your nose under water!

    It's not that I don't know how. It's the fact it freaks me out. I almost drowned as a kid and NEVER gained the ability to swim without my nose plugged again. I HATE it lol
  • geraldaltman
    geraldaltman Posts: 1,739 Member
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    If pool is long enough, shallow and not so busy (as in people waiting to get in), how about walking through the water? That's good cardio. I have access to exercise and therapy pools where I go as well. I have cobbled together calesthenic routines with hip exercises (post hip replacement PT) as core that have me moving about sometimes for close to two hours. I even started working some swimming back into the mix. Good luck. I hope I've offered up something helpful.

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