Swimming

I've been going to the gym pretty regularly the past couple weeks, and now that my tattoo has healed I can start swimming too. I'll be walking/jogging for an hour and then swimming for 30-45 minutes.

I'm trying to slim down, not build muscle - because I build muscle VERY easily, and as a woman well that's not really my goal. So I was just curious - if you've ever tried swimming regularly, what were the results? I'd love for my arms to thin down, nothing I do seems to get them to - exercises with weights only keep them from being soft instead of making them smaller.

I Do water arobics for 1 hour 3 days a week.  It will slim you down and tone you.  You won't look like a body builder but healthy.  When I started to do this it was the only thing I did for the 1st month.  Now keep in mind that our instructor works us out really good, by doing laps, then arms and legs then abs.  I one month I lost a total of 7 inches total.  I measured my chest waist and hips.

I am still doing this with walking 6 days 2-3 miles and now sense Jan 9th,  18 inchs off total.

My advise SWIM GIRL SWIM!!!  

It's just plain fun!!!

Aerobic exercise will slim you down for the first 45 minutes - 1 hour I believe... After that your body starts burning muscle for energy...

I guess if you don't want muscle, you can exercise for long periods of time or just avoid weight lifting? I dunno

Hey! I've been watching this site for a while now & eventually decided to join. So hi to all!!

Swimming is great for weight loss & toning. I used to swim competatively & trained everyday of the week for a good 2 hours. During this time i found that i didnt build a lot of muscle it just kept me slim & looking toned (not bulky!)

 I still swim regularly & find its a great way for keeping my weight stable. Also if u want to concentrate on your legs do work with a kickboard or use a pull buoy & work only your arms. Flippers are also great :D

Swimming is a great overall exercise, and I HIGHLY recomend it. This is comming from an ex- commpetitive swimmer, personal swim instructor and swim coach however... Swimming is much easier to slack off and not get as good of a workout. Having a set workout is a good way to prevent this. There are plenty of website that post these. Also useing the clocks will help to keep you on track. On of my personal favorites is 10 X 100 free on a set time. (anywhere from 3 to 1.5 mins should work depending on your fitness level.
OKay, now here comes the really important part... Swimming with bad technique can to some major demage, especailly to your shoulders (rotator cuff) please, please, please make sure you are swimming with good technique, have another lap swimmer (who knows there stuff) watch you, ask an off duty lifeguard, whatever you have to do. Good luck and enjoy!

I agree with waterphoenix that good form will absolutely save you pain! If you can, take a swim lesson (there are lots of private ones you can do that are cheap) from a swimmer. Have them be sure you are using good form and have them create some sets for you. Timing is a great way to keep yourself on task and moving. If you can, swim w/ a buddy and have a little competition :)

I finally got to swim for hte first time in a long time this weekend. It was soooo great to get in the water again. I'm going to try and swim at least once a week. It's a great variation to hte normal exercise and you don't have eto deal with being sweaty, just smelling like chlorine!

i strongly reccommend it! i have gotten great results and its a great low impact workout. I have bad knees and used to run a lot, but this allows me to have a great cardio workout without the stress on my joints!