What you’ll learn:
- Swimming helps to burn calories, tone muscle, and is easy on the joints, making it a well-rounded exercise with a variety of fitness and health benefits.
- Incorporating different swimming strokes into your routine not only targets different muscle groups but also keeps workouts engaging.
- Pairing regular swimming sessions with mindful eating and goal tracking can result in weight loss and long-term health benefits.
Swimming is one of the most accessible forms of exercise. This low-impact workout engages nearly every muscle in your body while being gentle on your joints, making it ideal for a variety of goals, fitness levels, and abilities. To see weight loss results, swimming needs to be part of a well-rounded approach to health and wellness.
Noom can take your swimming routine to the next level by pairing it with personalized strategies for nutrition, goal-setting, and habit-building. Dive into the article to learn how swimming can boost your fitness and how Noom can make your journey more effective, enjoyable, and sustainable.
Is swimming good for weight loss?
Swimming is more than just a way to cool off; it’s a powerful, low-impact exercise that can easily be adapted to whatever your fitness goal may be. The water offers a natural but gentle source of resistance to your movement that helps to build muscle while at the same time reducing the impact on your joints. These unique qualities mean that swimming is a great option whether you’re working on cardio, trying to build strength, or just want to get some movement in.
In terms of weight loss, while swimming does burn calories, you should combine it with healthy eating habits to lose weight. As with most moderate forms of exercise, you’ll need to eat a low-calorie diet in order to really see results.
Here are some benefits of including swimming and water exercises in your week:
- Burn calories: Depending on your weight, intensity, and stroke, swimming can burn between 200 and 250 calories in 30 minutes. Water aerobics will burn around 200 calories in the same time frame.
- Increase strength: Swimming engages multiple muscle groups, helping increase muscular strength and endurance.
- Gentle on the joints: Exercising in water reduces the impact on your joints, making swimming an excellent choice for many people with joint pain, arthritis, or injuries. In fact, there’s even some evidence that swimming can actually improve joint pain and stiffness.
- Improves cardiovascular health: Swimming is a great form of cardio. It increases your endurance by engaging large muscle groups throughout the body. Regular swimming is also associated with lower blood pressure, improved blood sugar control, and reduced risk of death by heart disease and stroke by up to 41%.
- Reduce stress and enhance mental well-being: Swimming’s rhythmic, meditative nature makes it a great stress reliever. The soothing effects of water combined with consistent movement may help uplift mood and combat stress. Many swimmers find their time in the pool to be as much about mental relaxation as it is about physical exercise.
- A long-term health investment: Swimming not only supports weight loss but also offers long-term health benefits. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week. Swimming is a great choice for fulfilling this requirement since its low-impact nature makes it accessible to many. Just eight weeks of consistent swimming can lead to noticeable improvements in blood pressure, blood sugar control, and overall fitness.
How to maximize calories burned by swimming
When it comes to burning calories with swimming, intensity and time are the main factors. The number of calories you burn while swimming depends on your pace, chosen stroke, and body weight.
To gauge the intensity of your swimming workout, focus on how you feel and your heart rate. If your breathing is steady and your strokes feel effortless, it’s likely a light session. But if you’re breathing heavily between laps and feeling muscle fatigue, you’re pushing at a higher intensity. Heart rate is another great cue—the harder you’re working, the higher it climbs. Since water keeps you cool, swimming can feel easier than it is, so check in with your body during and after your workout to get a true sense of your effort.
To maximize your swim sessions:
- Warm up with a moderate pace to loosen your muscles and ease into the workout.
- Boost the intensity: To ramp up calorie burn, pick up the pace.
- Cool down with gentle strokes to recover while still engaging your muscles.
Swimming is versatile and adaptable to any fitness level. Whether you’re aiming to burn calories or enjoy a low-impact workout, the pool offers many possibilities to support your health and weight loss goals.
Real results with a personalized weight loss program
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How to start swimming for weight loss
Let’s make your swimming plan as enjoyable and effective as possible! A little structure and creativity can help you stay consistent, motivated, and on track with your weight loss goals. Here’s how to build a plan that works for you:
- Set achievable goals. Define clear goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. SMART goals keep you focused and give you something to celebrate when you hit those milestones. For example, aim to swim for 30 minutes three times a week.
- Meet yourself where you are. If you’re new to swimming, begin with shorter sessions, like 15-20 minutes a couple of times a week, and gradually increase your duration and intensity. Building up slowly helps prevent burnout and injuries while boosting your confidence.
- Make it work for your lifestyle. Whether you prefer early morning swims to kickstart your day or evening laps to unwind, tailor your swimming routine to fit into your schedule. Incorporate healthy habits along with swimming, like mindful eating, for even better results. Noom’s personalized programs are here to guide you with tools that balance nutrition, exercise, and long-term success.
- Mix it up to keep things fresh. Swimming doesn’t have to feel repetitive. To avoid plateaus, start with a few laps of freestyle to get your heart pumping, add some breaststroke for variety, and finish with a relaxing backstroke. Switching it up keeps things interesting and targets different muscle groups. Cross-train with Noom’s library of land-based exercises to vary the muscles you work and help keep you engaged.
- Track those wins. Keep a log of your swim sessions—track your time, distance, and how you feel afterward. It’s satisfying to look back and say, “Wow, I’ve come a long way!” To make tracking even easier, Noom offers tools that help you monitor your progress, celebrate milestones, and stay motivated every step of the way.
- Stay flexible and consistent. Life happens—your pool might close for maintenance, or you might miss a session here and there. The key is to return to your plan as soon as you can and focus on long-term consistency over perfection.
Remember, the best plan is one that fits into your life. By tailoring your swimming routine to your schedule, fitness level, and preferences, you’re setting yourself up for lasting change.
Is swimming or walking better for weight loss?
Walking and swimming can both help you lose weight when combined with a lower-calorie diet. Which one is better depends on your personal preferences, fitness level, and goals. While both activities burn calories and improve cardiovascular health, they engage the body in different ways.
- Calorie burn: Swimming can burn more calories per minute than walking, especially if you increase intensity. A 30-minute moderate swim can burn 200–250 calories, compared to 100–150 calories for a moderate-paced walk.
- Muscle engagement: Swimming is a full-body workout that simultaneously engages your core, arms, and legs, while walking primarily works your lower body. More muscle engagement can lead to higher energy expenditure over time.
- Impact on joints: Walking is weight-bearing, which helps improve bone density, but it can be hard on the joints for some people. Swimming, on the other hand, is low-impact, making it an excellent choice for those with joint pain, arthritis, or injuries.
- Cardiovascular benefits: Both walking and swimming support heart health, endurance, and circulation. However, swimming may provide an edge in improving lung capacity due to the controlled breathing required.
- Accessibility: Walking requires no special equipment and can be done almost anywhere, while swimming requires access to a pool.
The best exercise for weight loss is the one you enjoy and can do consistently. If you enjoy the rhythmic nature of swimming and want a full-body, low-impact workout, the pool is a great choice. If you prefer a simple, accessible activity you can do anywhere, walking might be a better fit. Combining both can help you build a balanced, sustainable fitness routine that supports your weight loss journey.
Making swimming part of your weight loss journey
Swimming isn’t just about laps in a pool—it’s about finding an activity you genuinely enjoy and can stick with. It’s a full-body workout that helps you build strength, stamina, and overall fitness. Plus, it’s gentle on your joints, making it an ideal option for beginners or anyone dealing with aches and pains. The best part? A swim routine is incredibly flexible, so you can easily adapt it to match your energy levels and goals.
Want to make swimming a regular part of your routine? It’s all about finding what works for you. Remember that sustainable changes are key to long-term success. And you don’t have to figure it all out on your own. Noom’s approach can help you create a balanced plan that includes swimming alongside other healthy habits. Why not see how Noom can support your journey? Take a step towards a healthier you today.
