We have all heard that swimming is one of the best exercise activities anyone can do. It works all the muscles and it is low impact making it friendly on the joints. The problem is there are conflicting views out there about whether swimming actually helps you to lose weight or not. So let’s look at the evidence.

For a long time exercise scientists have argued if swimming is a good exercise if weight loss is your primary goal or if you should be participating in land activities such as walking or running. Everyone agrees that swimming is good for the body as general exercise to increase fitness. The problem is that there have been different studies that say swimming is great for weight loss, has no bearing on weight loss and even makes you put on weight.

In order to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you take in. The body is designed to eat for the purpose of energy. If we don’t use the amount of energy that we eat, then this energy is stored and we put on weight. If you want to lose that weight, you need to expend more energy that you eat. It is simple maths if you want to lose weight.

A study by Gwinup published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine found that walking and cycling were great exercises to help people lose weight but swimming was not. The study, which analyzed a group of moderately obese women, showed that the participants that walked lost 10% of initial weight, those that cycled lost 12% and those that swam actually gained weight slightly. Not the sort of thing you want see if you are getting in the pool with the aim of losing your tummy fat.

On the other hand a study completed by the University of Utah found that there was no difference when comparing swimming and walking when it came to weight loss. The participants completed in a 13 week exercise program where they exercised for 45 minutes 4 days per week. 1 group swam breaststroke, backstroke and sidestroke while group 2 walked on land and the final group walked in the shallow end of a pool. The results showed that each group lost the same amount of weight.

So what do we believe? Many people struggle to get out there and walk or run due to injuries or the weather, but you don’t want to waste your time if there is no benefit or it is going to actually make you put weight on. Well there is another study that may explain why there is a discrepancy in the literature. A study completed in Florida by White et al (2005) tested the affect the water temperature had on post exercise energy intake. The reason subjects put on weight after swimming in the study mentioned earlier was because they actually ate more after the exercise. In the University of Utah study, subjects didn’t eat as much after their exercise, hence they lost weight.

In White’s study, there were subjects that swam in water temperatures of 20 degrees Celsius and others that swam in temperatures of 33 degrees Celsius. This actually had a major impact on how much the subjects ate after the exercise. Those that swam in the colder water actually ate more than they burned off in the exercise session. Those that swam in the warmer water ate less and as a result lost weight. This puts the other 2 studies into perspective as study 1 was completed in colder water and hence why the subjects put weight on. Those in study 2 were in warmer water which resulted in weight loss.

As you can see, swimming can be an excellent part of your exercise routine if you are looking to lose weight. All you need to do is ensure that you swim in a heated pool to get the full effects of your exercise. If you cannot swim in warmer water but still want to swim, simply be careful about what you eat after your session. This will result in a slimmer waist line. It doesn’t matter which stroke you do. You can be a breaststroker, backstroker or freestyler; this is not important. What is important is that you exercise and preferably do it in warmer water.

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John Mitchell is an experienced exercise professional and swimming coach. He is known for writing on his swimming blog at http://breaststrokezone.com

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