swimming as your exercise? please read

reneeot
reneeot Posts: 773 Member
edited October 2 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm about to start taking swimming lessons, so that I can do swimming as my main exercise. I have a lap pool right across the street from my house. Just had back surgery in February. And decided the lowest impact but exercise with a punch would be swimming.

Any advice on best ways to swim or how long and etc. Also anythings I need to be aware or warned abuts since I"m a foreigner to swimming?


Thanks,

REnee

Replies

  • Schwarzeaugen
    Schwarzeaugen Posts: 129 Member
    Swimming is soo great! I usually breaststroke for about 30 minutes, then casually swim around for another 30 -- it's such a great burn.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    Swimming is, without a doubt, the best full-body cardio exercise you can get IF you are doing flip-turns on your lap swims. I highly recommend making sure that you are taught those, and also how to properly breath within your stroke doing the standard front crawl. A half hour to an hour of that simple repetition works every major muscle group in your body. If you really want some variety, mix in some breaststroke to bring your back muscles a little more into it.

    Warnings: go very slowly at first. You will be amazed at how sore you may be at first. Be sure to stretch your whole body very thoroughly both before and after. Watch out for leg cramps. If you are kicking properly, you'll get them. Try to load up on potassium and magnesium and watch your sodium intake extra closely on days you intend to swim.

    BEWARE DEHYDRATION. You are cool and wet from being in the water, so you don't realize you are sweating, nor is it easy to realize that you are becoming dehydrated while submerged in water. Trust me, you are. Keep a sport bottle at the end of your lane and drink from it liberally.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    Just do what you can to start off with. I can't do laps for more than 3 or 4 minutes at a time so I just do as much as I can, rest to catch my breath and go at it again. I like to switch between breast stroke then just swimming by kicking my legs (feel the burn, babyy!!!) and then just pulling my body with my arms.
  • matthistory
    matthistory Posts: 1
    I swam for 14 years competitively stopped before college due to burnout. The best advice I can give is to not over do it. You are doing considerably more work swimming then you would walking or any other form of aerobic exercise. Do lots of short repetition sets (10 50yd swims in 2min, or whatever time interval you are comfortable with) but do them on an interval, just don't over do it. It's easy to get in and just start swimming laps but will at times leave you feeling like you aren't getting anywhere.

    If there is an adult swim team in your area, I definitely recommend talking to them. They are generally called "masters" groups but don't let the name talk you out of it. They are swimmers of all levels and the coach there can set you up with workouts for your level and give you good advice on technique.

    Most of all, enjoy it! It still remains to this day my favorite form of exercise. It can be very zen like, just you and the water.
  • deadliftdavie1918
    deadliftdavie1918 Posts: 60 Member
    You can mix it up by just pulling with no kicking or kicking with a kickboard if your back will allow it. Look into a Masters swim team too - Masters just means over 18 and there is a coach there to help you. Don't worry about flip turns at first, just master freestyle (front crawl) or breaststroke and definitely master the art of rhythmic breathing while swimming. It's the best sport ever!
  • fcvicente
    fcvicente Posts: 3
    I swam last yr for about 8 months religiously, with great results, and when I started didn't know how. I eventually worked my way up to an hour of laps everyday.....My tip for you -- flippers. If you don't know how, have trouble moving, etc, use flippers. It will help you move tremendously which helped me find my rhythm. Eventually I didn't need them anymore. If you're out of shape and in experienced, you can easily feel like youre paddling like hell and not going anywhere, lol. I recommend starting with flippers on. I did.
  • almille
    almille Posts: 89
    Dont get discouraged when you find you can't do as much as you expect! Its a totally different exercise, and even if you're fit it will be rough at first. Progress comes quickly if you keep at it though, and it feels great!

    When I started I couldnt get to the other side of the pool without a break in the middle because breathing was so hard. It only took a month for me to be able to do a few laps in a row and really get a workout.
  • dawnm92
    dawnm92 Posts: 56 Member
    Thanks for posting this -- and thanks to everyone for the many thoughtful responses. I would really love to get involved with swimming. I'm seriously considering a membership at the local Y just so that I can swim. I will keep all of this great advice in mind when I finally have access to a pool!
  • dawnm92
    dawnm92 Posts: 56 Member
    I swam last yr for about 8 months religiously, with great results, and when I started didn't know how. I eventually worked my way up to an hour of laps everyday.....My tip for you -- flippers. If you don't know how, have trouble moving, etc, use flippers. It will help you move tremendously which helped me find my rhythm. Eventually I didn't need them anymore. If you're out of shape and in experienced, you can easily feel like youre paddling like hell and not going anywhere, lol. I recommend starting with flippers on. I did.

    Awesome tip. I would never have thought of this and I was concerned I would paddle like hell and go nowhere. LOL I will definitely look into getting flippers when I start swimming!
  • KayaSamantha
    KayaSamantha Posts: 157 Member
    I love swimming! I do it about 4-5 times a week as my cardio along with walking and hiking. I would say invest in a swim cap or a great shampoo! I ruined my long curly hair by not doing this and it is the ONLY downside to swimming your body will change really fast (I love my arms and upper body now!). Good luck!
  • reneeot
    reneeot Posts: 773 Member
    Thanks for all the input!! I went to the local collage, NMSU aquatic center and my understanding is one of the coaches will be doing my private lessons. I'm really excited. I am looking for a cap, I have dyed hair. Also concerned about ears? Should I be worried about water gettting in them all the time? I'm looking forward to the challange of it all!!
  • bregalad5
    bregalad5 Posts: 3,965 Member
    I read up a few days ago, since I've been swimming daily, and found that it appears breaststroke is the best total-body workout of all the types. I also find it to be the easiest to just keep going and going and going, kinda like the Energizer Bunny when I'm doing it, as opposed to Freestyle.
  • reneeot
    reneeot Posts: 773 Member
    I read up a few days ago, since I've been swimming daily, and found that it appears breaststroke is the best total-body workout of all the types. I also find it to be the easiest to just keep going and going and going, kinda like the Energizer Bunny when I'm doing it, as opposed to Freestyle.

    thanks!
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    I read up a few days ago, since I've been swimming daily, and found that it appears breaststroke is the best total-body workout of all the types. I also find it to be the easiest to just keep going and going and going, kinda like the Energizer Bunny when I'm doing it, as opposed to Freestyle.

    As someone with years of competitive swimming under my belt, I can tell you that it's definitely NOT lol. It IS, however, an excellent full-body workout. Butterfly is undeniably a better total-body workout, but I defy anyone who did not learn the stroke at a young age and stick with it to simply get in a pool and do laps of fly. Breaststroke will definitely hit your back (especially your lats) and your legs much differently than a basic front crawl (usually called freestyle). However, it is also an easier stroke to "slack off" while doing. That's why I made the recommendation to try to stick with the crawl and spell yourself off with b'stroke.

    Water in the ears is a problem that some people have right away and others never do. You'll know right away if water is accumulating in your ear canals. You'll get out of the pool and have the feeling that you can't get it out, no matter how much you shake your head or use a cotton swab. If that's the case, you'll run the risk of swimmer's ear and need to get some plugs. They make gel plugs that conform to the interior of your ear, like a piece of putty. Personally, I'm waiting for waterproof bluetooth earbud headphones (how 'bout it, science?) so I can use the interval training app on my iPhone to signal my starts and stops and listen to music while I go at it.

    You didn't mention it, but I'm hoping you plan to get yourself some goggles. If not, the chlorine will tear your eyes up after a single session of lap swimming.
  • nerdieprofessor
    nerdieprofessor Posts: 512 Member
    I'm about to start taking swimming lessons, so that I can do swimming as my main exercise. I have a lap pool right across the street from my house. Just had back surgery in February. And decided the lowest impact but exercise with a punch would be swimming.

    Any advice on best ways to swim or how long and etc. Also anythings I need to be aware or warned abuts since I"m a foreigner to swimming?


    Thanks,

    REnee

    Like anything else, start small/short and build up. Getting lessons or coaching is essential since swimming (unlike cycling or running) is ALL about technique.

    And to the comments above about breastroke. it probably uses a more varied combination of muscles but it definitely doesn't give you the cardio workout you need. Trust me on that! Like Hudffdog, I'm all for butterfly as the biggest workout (muscles and cardio) but most people cannot learn to do it properly as an adult (many children can't either). I was a champion butterflyer as a teen and even I find it very difficult in middle age to do butterfly.

    I solve the water in the ears problem by hanging nearly upside down after my shower post-swim. Just bending way over forward will do it and turn the head to each side. I have to tug on my earlobes to help the canal empty out. Whether you have issues with this will depend on the shape of your ear canal, most likely. Of course, swimming in a very clean pool helps, too!

    A good cheap preventative is a 50:50 mixture of alcohol and white vinegar. A couple drops in each ear after swimming helps it dry out.

    And, another vote for goggles, so you can see what you are doing and not swim into things and so you don't have tired eyes after swimming, much less burning eyes depending on the chemicals in your pool and your sensitivity to them.

    Octo
  • shelleycolton
    shelleycolton Posts: 400 Member
    Hi all,

    The advise is a great one, UK we have swimfit (http://www.swimming.org/swimfit), here you can get workouts and log the swims it has challenges too, like swim the english channel too.

    Defo need gogles and a good hair conditioner (Aussie leave in one I like the best).

    I have been looking for an accurate way to calculate calories, i i think the entering the times won't give me a good indicator as we all swim different paces, do anyone have some ideas?

    thanks, Shel
  • reneeot
    reneeot Posts: 773 Member
    Thanks so much, I"m appreciating everything said!! I thought about goggles. I'll have to invest in that too. I usually have to shake my ears to get the water out so I'm going with the ear plugs.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I'm about to start taking swimming lessons, so that I can do swimming as my main exercise. I have a lap pool right across the street from my house. Just had back surgery in February. And decided the lowest impact but exercise with a punch would be swimming.

    Any advice on best ways to swim or how long and etc. Also anythings I need to be aware or warned abuts since I"m a foreigner to swimming?


    Thanks,

    REnee

    These are probably questions to ask your swim instructor and physical therapist. There isn't really anything to warn about. Do make sure to stay hydrated, since you don't realize how much water you're losing while IN the water.

    Otherwise, just jump in and swim! Your instructor will teach you proper form, but any movement in the water will build muscle and burn calories because of the nature of pushing against the water.

    I'm not a fast swimmer. I burn about 100 calories in 15 minutes (give or take) but I love doing it. I can feel it in my muscles and I never feel tired after the way I do with land workouts.

    Enjoy!
  • bregalad5
    bregalad5 Posts: 3,965 Member
    As someone with years of competitive swimming under my belt, I can tell you that it's definitely NOT lol. It IS, however, an excellent full-body workout. Butterfly is undeniably a better total-body workout, but I defy anyone who did not learn the stroke at a young age and stick with it to simply get in a pool and do laps of fly. Breaststroke will definitely hit your back (especially your lats) and your legs much differently than a basic front crawl (usually called freestyle). However, it is also an easier stroke to "slack off" while doing. That's why I made the recommendation to try to stick with the crawl and spell yourself off with b'stroke.

    Sorry, lol, I wasn't thinking that someone who was just starting to think about taking swimming lessons would, lol, decide to use butterfly as their primary lap swimming exercise stroke, lol, so my apologies, I should have clarified that what I read was regarding breaststroke, freestyle, and backstroke. MY BAD. Disregarding butterfly, you reinforced what I said: breaststroke, if done properly and if you don't slack off while doing it, is the best total-body workout OTHER THAN BUTTERFLY.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    Hey remember that headphone request I made? Turns out science was listening...

    http://endlessyears.com/?p=2275
  • reneeot
    reneeot Posts: 773 Member
    Hey remember that headphone request I made? Turns out science was listening...

    http://endlessyears.com/?p=2275

    Kudo's for you!! You going to buy some?
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    Hey remember that headphone request I made? Turns out science was listening...

    http://endlessyears.com/?p=2275

    Kudo's for you!! You going to buy some?

    Once I have access to a pool regularly again I'm sure I will.
  • reneeot
    reneeot Posts: 773 Member
    HAD FIRST SWIMMING LESSON 2 WEEKS AGO!!! I SWAM THE FIRST DAY AFTER 30 MINUTE LESSONS!! I REALLY ENJOY SWIMMING. I LEARNED TO FREE STYLE AND NEXT WEEK LEARNING THE BACKSTROKE AND TO BREATH WHILE SWIMMING.

    :-)
  • BeverageTreats
    BeverageTreats Posts: 149 Member
    I hit on a system for protecting my long hair while swimming if anyone is interested.

    First, make sure your hair is well saturated with tap water in the shower. Coil it on top of your head. Next, take your lycra cap and saturate that with tap water and cover all your hair with it. Alone, the lycra cap is worthless and will fall off immediately in the water. However! Next, take a latex or silicone cap (get the one sized for long hair) and cover the lycra cap with that. Make sure the silicone or latex cap extends beyond the latex cap all the way around your head, and contacts about half an inch of skin to form a seal.

    Swim. In the shower afterward remove the caps and rinse your hair well again with tap water. Condition or whatever you do.

    The latex or silicone keeps the lycra on, and the lycra keeps the latex or silicone from sticking all to your hair like rubber bands.
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