Swimming For Weight Loss: Does It Actually Help?

The weight loss struggle

Is losing weight one of the reasons you are swimming? Is there such a thing as swimming for weight loss? In other words, does swimming actually help?

Wait... Get Your Lesson Plans Here

There is little question that one of the reasons why many people go swimming, is because of the exercise and the hope that it will help them lose weight.

Swimming is gentle on the joints and even a new swimmer burns a lot of calories.

For those of us, that struggle with their weight, the gentleness of movement in the water can be very attractive compared to pounding all our excess weight on the pavement or treadmill.

But the reality is that losing weight with exercise alone, any kind of exercise, is a very difficult task. You cannot ignore your diet. I know this because some years ago I was involved is a scientific study that looked at the effectiveness of diet over-exercise.


The results of the study were conclusive. Whilst you can lose weight with exercise alone, it is far more effective and sustainable with diet.

It is easy to develop misconceptions from television shows. By their nature, they have to concentrate on the exercise because that makes for good TV but there is a lot of dieting that goes on.

There are all sorts of persistent information around that we know is... Well, let's be nice and say that it is just not correct.

Picture by Jessica-Wilson on Unsplash

Some of the advice I have been given includes:

• Don't drink (not water or anything) during exercise
• Increase your glucose
• And more

You would think that with what we now know the advice would get better. But it doesn't and knowing that doesn't help either. We need good advice.

It is beyond this post to make any recommendations beyond saying that, everything that I have read and studied over the years, has led me to believe that, it doesn't matter what diet you do as long as you get some good advice and you have plenty of support. Especially once you have actually reached your goal.

It is, however, vital that it is the beginning of a lifestyle change. You may as well not bother changing your diet if you don't change your lifestyle to one that you can sustain over the long term and that incorporates the diet as part of the change.

The same is true of the swimming, it too must be part of your lifestyle change or you won't maintain it. I also have a few swimming workout tips that might help.

Enjoy     
Richard