3 top benefits of swimming for weight loss from dietitians

Joanna Kriehn, MS, RDN, CDCES - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES)

The benefits of swimming extend beyond weight loss and toning. Read on to learn about health improvements you can expect and how to make it part of your regular exercise routine.

1. The benefits of swimming for weight loss start with calorie-burning

Swimming is a full-body workout that engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously, which helps burn a significant amount of calories.

For example:

Freestyle: Burns approximately 500-700 calories per hour. A 200-pound (92 kg) man will burn around 350 calories for a 30-minute session.

Butterfly: Can burn up to 900 calories per hour due to its intensity. A 200-pound (92kg) man will burn around 450 calories for a 30-minute session.

The exact calories burned depend on such factors as body weight, swimming speed, and duration. To generate a more personalized estimate of calories burned while swimming, track your workout in the MyNetDiary app. From your dashboard, tap on “Exercise.” Next, type in swimming in the search bar to bring up various swimming- related options. Select the number of minutes of actual swimming, recording only the minutes of movement, not those resting at the side of the pool.

2. Less strain on your joints while providing a total body workout

The buoyancy of water reduces stress on joints, making swimming an ideal exercise for those getting back in shape or anyone with joint pain or arthritis.

Swimming works your whole body, with your upper and lower body working simultaneously. The water provides natural resistance, elevating your heart rate and toning your muscles. Different strokes (freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly) target various muscle groups, ensuring a balanced workout.

3. Boosts metabolism along with other benefits

Swimming can elevate your heart rate, strengthening your heart and lungs. A stronger cardiovascular system aids in efficient calorie burning and overall fitness. Plus, one of the benefits of swimming for weight loss is that you build muscle. Increased muscle mass leads to a higher resting metabolic rate, meaning you will burn more calories even at rest.

In addition, regular exercise helps to reduce overall body stress, which can help decrease emotional eating — a common obstacle in weight loss.

How to start swimming for exercise

Find a swimming pool near you. The internet offers a variety of “pool finders,” which list the pool length and whether the pool is open to the public. Then, check the facility's website for the lap swim schedule. Nothing is worse than psyching yourself up for a workout only to find the pool is closed to lap swimming.
In addition to a comfortable bathing suit, you’ll want a pair of swim goggles and a swim cap. These can be purchased at retailers nearby or online.
Once at the pool, give yourself adequate time to warm up. Try some stretches before getting in the water, such as arm swings, shoulder rolls, and forward bends. You may also warm up by swimming the freestyle or crawl at a slow pace. Swimming slowly increases blood flow to your joints and muscles, helping to prevent injuries. Alternate between a few laps of freestyle and flutter kicking using the kickboard and pull buoy to warm up your arms.
Swimming increases your heart rate quickly to provide additional oxygen and nutrients to your muscles. Thus, when starting out, you’ll want to take plenty of breaks poolside between laps. After a few weeks of regular swimming workouts, you should feel less fatigued during and at the end of your workouts, and your breathing while swimming should feel smoother.
You will reap the greatest benefits by consistently getting to the pool. Work up to several swimming workouts each week, increasing your distance over time.

You want the benefits of swimming for weight loss, but laps sound boring to you

Suppose you want to reap the benefits of water exercise but aren't interested in lap swimming. Then, look into water exercises. Whether just getting started in an exercise routine or breaking through endurance plateaus, tailoring a water workout to any fitness level is easy. Check out these pool exercises to get started.

Looking for a bit more accountability and structure? Your local pool or recreation center likely offers water aerobics classes. These classes combine various water exercises set to music and led by an instructor, and they can be fun and challenging. This type of workout improves cardiorespiratory fitness and tones your body.

Swimming offers a variety of weight-loss benefits, most notably resistance training and cardiovascular strengthening. Hopefully, these tips on how to start swimming for exercise have set you up for success with this full-body workout!

Finally, remember to consult your doctor before starting any new workout program. While exercising, listen to your body and stop any exercise if it doesn't feel right.