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Fish out of water?

July 12, 2006 on 5:29 pm | In Main, Pregnancy, Weight Loss, Swim Suits |

Swimming is very good exercise, there’s no doubt about that. It uses almost all major muscle groups, it’s low impact and it certainly raises the heart rate. Breastroke burns the same amount of calories as a slow jog and freestyle (or crawl) is almost the same as a run. It’s the perfect exercise for those who are overwieght, have some sort of injury or someone whose pregnant. So if you’re burning the same number of calories as joggers or cyclists then why has swimming not proven to be as effective for weight loss?

The main problem is highlighted in a research program run by Professor Grant Gwinup and published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine. Basically, people get very hungry after swimming and as a result they overcompensate by eating more. It’s not really clear why people get so hungry after swimming. It has been suggested that water temperture plays some part in this but the research isn’t conclusive. The results on the other hand, speak for themselves. If swimming is part of your chosen weight loss program you need to be careful about what you eat and how much.

The other problem is something you have far less control over. Muscle action. Weight training helps burn calories simply by raising the metabolic rate so it stands to reason that swimming should do the same. Unfortunately it is, once again, not as effective because of the type of muscle action that occurrs.

One of the reasons your metabolism gets a boost from weight training is because of the damage caused to muscles during these exercises. Now the thing that causes most of this damage is known as eccentric muscle action. The opposite movement would be called concetric.

An example of concentric muscle action is when your bicep works to lift a weight and eccentric is when the bicep is working to lower the weight. Unfortunately in swimming most of the work you do is concetric muscle action. Basically this means that swimming doesn’t boost the metabolic rate as much as weight training does because (strange as it sounds) it doesn’t cause as much muscle damage.

Bummer right? Wrong. The fact remains that swimming is still a good form of exercise and if you do it right, you will see results. I have a friend who went out with a girl who was quite obese before she met him. She lost all of that weight through swimming and careful control of her diet. And I have it on good authority that the results were very good indeed!

If you enjoy swimming then it’s better than trying to run when you hate running. This is because you’ll be far more consistent in your routine and you will find it easier to keep it up and integrate it into your lifestyle. If you do something you hate you won’t be consisent and so you won’t get the same results.

My advice is to go swimming in the morning when you still have a day ahead of you. That way you won’t be able to just crash; try to be as active as you can after a session. The key to doing this of course, is not to overwork yourself in the pool. Push yourself but not too hard. Rather than going for speed go for endurance so do 40 slow lengths rather than 20 full speed ahead. That way you can build your fitness up in a more controlled manner and you won’t exhaust yourself in the process.

It’s also a good idea not to go swimming on an empty stomach. It’s not good to swim on a full stomach either because this can cause cramps, so maybe have a yogurt or something before you go. Then have something slightly more substantial afterwards. But be sure not to overcompensate because, as the good doctor has said, this will just cancel out all the work you’ve just done. I know it’s hard, believe me. I’m always starving after swimming. Drink lots of water before you eat something, that way you fill yourself up without topping up the calories.

Another a good idea is obviously to try and combine swimming with something else. I don’t really like running but I can walk for miles. So if you can, walk to the sports centre rather than taking the bus. Check out the Pink Fridge website for some more ideas on what else you can do towards personal fitness and weight loss. There are loads of tips and plenty of good advice, the rest is up to you.

S.B