How good is swimming for exercise?

It's been so hot that I'm in the pool for close to an hour nearly each day. I guess it's tricky because I don't feel like I'm getting a workout, since I'm cool and not pouring sweat, like I would be if I were walking or doing one of the exercise shows on FitTV channel. I feel like I should probably be doing more than just pool time. Is it possible to tone/firm up by swimming?

its one of the best calorie burns per hour.

Swimming is awesome.  Just the other day I found out that I burned 1096 calories with 3 hours of swimming.  It's the only exercise I can do right now with a sprained ankle, although  I didn't consider it much of a workout since I was having so much fun and time just flew by.  If you think about it you use your whole body so I would imagine you could work/tone the muscles a little that way.

amazing!

no impact and you cant tell youre sweating.

makes me eat alot afterwards but its quite a burn so i never worry about it.

not really actually.

google it.

many studies show that swimming despite its high cal burn - is not great for weight loss.

researchers are unsure why. it tends to lower body temperature which causes a rebound increase in appetite. even collegiate athletes on the track have far lower body fat levels than their swimming counterparts....

sorry

Original Post by fidget84:

it tends to lower body temperature which causes a rebound increase in appetite.

But if you are controlling your diet, then what does that matter? You might be a little hungrier, but I don't see how increased appetite leads to weight gain unless you actually eat more than you burn.

http://caloriecount.about.com/profile/coach_k

^^^she lost weight by swimming ^^^^^^^^

Any activity is better than none, but to get the best bang for your buck you'll want to do an exercise that raises your heart rate more than swimming does. It's great for people who have an injury and can't run or walk or do other activites, and it's a great cross training exercise.

Original Post by fidget84:

not really actually.

google it.

many studies show that swimming despite its high cal burn - is not great for weight loss.

researchers are unsure why. it tends to lower body temperature which causes a rebound increase in appetite. even collegiate athletes on the track have far lower body fat levels than their swimming counterparts....

sorry

 This is true...BUT...it is an awesome form of low impact exercise. Treading water - try for 15 mins..its tough!! - and 'water running' are also excellent. When using it as a form of exercise, try and be consistant and swim, tread and/or water run - running through water in shallow end with weighted water belt on - for a set amount of time.  Swimmers have beautiful bodies...imo.

Swimming is a great activity for increasing fitness and it's great if you need a low impact workout.  It does burn a lot of calories, but I have seen other references that say if swimming is your only form of exercise you tend to have a harder time decreasing body fat than if you do some land training with it.  Something to keep in mind with swimming too is that your heartrate tends to be about 10 bpm slower than if you were doing the equivalent intensity on land out of the water.

It can be great for toning arms and burning calories - the only problem is that I read that it can make you MORE HUNGRY, that people who swim or more likely to re-eat their calories burned than those who run! I used to do laps and should do them again; its great exercise.

Original Post by larsa000:

Something to keep in mind with swimming too is that your heartrate tends to be about 10 bpm slower than if you were doing the equivalent intensity on land out of the water.

um, what? Explain to me how this works. Ask any swimmer if their workouts are "easy." I do, however, agree that it's not easy to lose fat while swimming, just because you eat back so many calories. You do gain a lot of muscle, though.

In my opinion, it's the best exercise. But I might be biased.

THANK you for posting this!! I've been hearing the mixed reviews about swimming and was getting worried as it is MISERABLY hot, here, and other then cleaning around the house and bartending one day a week seemingly the only summer exercise I've been getting in. (It's too hot to go out and walk, even.)

My arms are big focal point for me at the moment and when I'm doing laps I try to do a few sets where I'm only pulling myself through the water using my arms and not kicking... (It's hard to break the habit, but...) Seems like I can really feel the pull/burn in my arms, right where I need it, so I'm hopeful that it will at least help with toning...

I try to eat a light meal before swimming and that seems to help with the ravenous hunger factor. I've heard that some of the hunger can be triggered by the water temperature... The colder the water, the hungrier you'll feel after swimming. It's been suggested to try and have a warm shower and drink something hot (tea, for example) before eating anything and that will help curb the appetite as well.

Original Post by pegamoose:

Original Post by larsa000:

Something to keep in mind with swimming too is that your heartrate tends to be about 10 bpm slower than if you were doing the equivalent intensity on land out of the water.

um, what? Explain to me how this works. Ask any swimmer if their workouts are "easy." I do, however, agree that it's not easy to lose fat while swimming, just because you eat back so many calories. You do gain a lot of muscle, though.

In my opinion, it's the best exercise. But I might be biased.

 I wasn't saying this to imply that swimming is easy.  I swim twice a week and think that it's great exercise. I said this because you need to adjust your training zones if you are swimming, because if you try to push yourself to get your heartrate up to your land training zones you are going to be in hell and not able to keep going.  When I'm doing a fast front crawl and pushing myself really hard my hr is still only going to be about 150 even when at the same exertion while running it will be 160-170.  Your body naturally down regulates your heart when you are in the water, partly due to the change in temperature and natural cooling effect of water.  I personally go by exertion in the water and not hr because of this phenomenon.

http://www.new-fitness.com/swimming.html

"Beginning swimmers need to know that ones resting heart rate decreases 10 beats per minute in water, and maximum heart rate decreases by 10 to 30 beats. The heart puts out just as much blood as in other exercises because it pumps more volume with each stroke, but more slowly. No one is certain why heart rate decreases in water, but the lower temperature and lesser pull of gravity in water may be the cause. In any case, if you know what your exercise heart rate should be, that number should be lower by at least 10 beats when you swim. Swimming is a good sport to take up if you would like to increase your muscle and strength endurance. It is also good for increasing your stamina and improving your cardiovascular system by improving the bodies' use of oxygen and allowing the heart to work less strenuously."

swimming laps is the closest thing to meditiation i have ever experienced - the complete emptying of the mind - it can be very challenging to even count my laps. i love that. great for the mind-body connect, or disconnect as the case may be. nothing makes the world go away like putting you head underwater for an extended period of time.

i love wearing both fins and paddles after a great workout and tearing through the water as fast as i can.

they call her flipper flipper queen of the ocean