Does Swimming Burn Calories?

Nowadays, everyone seems to be "on-the-go". This concept is well-understood when we see our favorite fast food restaurants, providing us food with minimal effort. We have fast food restaurants with drive-through options that make our lives easy and filled with unnecessary calories. Sometimes it can get tough to choose a well-balanced, healthy substitute to our fast-paced lives. Although there are some of us who try to find healthier alternatives to burn these calories by jogging, weight training, cardiovascular training, or doing yoga. So this means that doing regular exercise, and eating healthy foods like fruits and vegetables should help in maintaining a healthy weight. Another well-known physical activity that helps in burning calories is swimming. But does swimming burn calories faster than running or jogging? Instead of looking for several methods to burn calories fast, why not give swimming a chance? Swimming can be a fun way to burn calories and stay fit. Let's see if we can answer your queries of how much does swimming burn calories.

The secret to burning calories is by accelerating your metabolic rate. Metabolic rate is the pace at which your body burns calories. Have you ever wondered why your "lucky" friend doesn't gain weight from eating all that junk food? The logic behind it is very simple. The daily calorie intake of a grown up individual is about 2200 calories. So if you eat 2000 calories per day and burn those 2000 calories by engaging in physical activities, you won't gain weight. But if you eat 2500 calories and burn only 2000 calories, you will gain about 1lb per week. (1lb = 3500 calories)

Calories Burned While Swimming

Though running can help in burning a lot of calories, but it may not be the only way to burn calories. There are many fitness-conscious people who agree that swimming burns more calories than running because water is 1000 times denser than air. Swimming can offer amazing cardiovascular workouts and uses most muscles in the entire body. This helps in building strength, carving your 'V' shaped torso, and shedding calories, all at the same time. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests that the total calories used while swimming depends "on the velocity of movement and the stroke being used, but it is also influenced by the skill of the swimmer". According to this statement, an expert swimmer requires less energy to propel through longer distance, and can burn the same amount of calories as a beginner. So if you are a beginner and want to increase the amount of calories burned while swimming, consider taking swimming lessons. It is very important that you know the proper techniques before you start. By learning the correct techniques of swimming, you will burn enough calories without getting tired. And once you have improved your swimming skills, you will be able to swim faster and for longer time periods. Given below is a table that explains how many calories are burned, in a specific time frame, according to the weight of an individual.

Weight (lbs)	Time (mins)	Calories
140	20	156
	30	233
	45	350
150	20	167
	30	300
	45	375
180	20	200
	30	300
	45	450

Now that we have looked at the benefits of this sport/activity, let's highlight some issues where swimming shouldn't be used. If you wish to lose weight, i.e. 50 to 100 lbs, then swimming is not an alternative to regular exercising. Although there are lots of calories burned while swimming, once you stop swimming for the day, the calories will stop burning as well. In contrast, if you are undergoing weight training or any aerobic exercises, the calories continue to burn even after you're done for the day. Another aspect of swimming is that it changes the metabolic structure of your body. Which means, your metabolic profile will be different from someone who jogs on a regular basis. Carbohydrate metabolism, rather than fat metabolism is stimulated by swimming. Therefore, if you want to burn substantial amount of calories and lose weight, eat foods with less fat. Reduce your overall food intake, but keep in mind not to get carried away. You need sufficient amounts of vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, etc. to give you energy while swimming.

Swimming is a sport that doesn't have any age limitations. It's a healthy activity that benefits the entire body. It burns calories, makes weak joints strong, supports any weight, and can build muscular strength. Choose which one of these motivates you to take swimming as a means to burn calories. Whatever the reason may be, swimming is an excellent excuse to escape the heat of summer or change a monotonous exercise routine. Not only does swimming burn calories, it also keeps you in great shape. There are many advantages of swimming, so go ahead and pick yours. Burn calories the 'swimming' way!