started swimming this week but just how good for you is it swimming 2-3 times a week walking twice a week

Swimming is awesome exercise!

Swimming is the most aerobic exercise you can do. It's extremely beneficial for your fitness levels and burns a lot of calories...if you have the right technique.
If you can swim properly then it's great as it's low impact, the water supports your joints and it really does give a whole body workout. Your local pool will have adult swim classes or stroke workshops where you can just fine tune your stroke. If you're not doing it right it's quite easy to strain your shoulders.
Try not to just get in the pool and swim 30 lengths straight off, give yourself sets to complete, like 5x100m sprints followed by 4x400m distance. This will make your body work harder and will enhance the positive aspects of swimming...and it'll be much less boring for you!
Good luck!

I love swimming, and I agree with Lisa that it's one of the best exercises possible. It's kind to your joints and relaxing, and also a really good workout.

Plus if you hate getting sweaty, it's lovely to be surrounded by cool water!

Swimming 2-3 times a week and walking twice a week sounds great to me. Good luck with it!

Ali

___________________________________________
Ali Hale
www.theofficediet.com
"Healthy living for busy people"

Hi, I'm swimming too and have been doing so since mid January. I've increased my speed and increased the number of lengths I can do without getting cramp/tired. Along with healthy eating, I have lost 19 lb since January 7th. I've also signed up for the Swimathon next Friday when I will do 50 lengths of our 50m pool - I never could have done that a year ago!

My one worry with the swimming is the amount of chlorine that my body is absorbing each day when I swim - this is sometimes up to 5 times a week. I do have a thorough shower or bath after but I can still smell the chlorine on me. Could this be harmful?

hi , swimming and walking great. something i did read somewhere though. with swimming you dont strengthen your bones as say weight training or running does so women of a certain age may need to do something to complement the swimming. anybody else heard this

Paul, I can see why it might not strengthen you bones in the same way as impact sports do, but there are also much fewer incidences of injury in swimming compared to running for example. So I suppose ideally you would do some sort of additional exercise, but really i would think unless you'd been advised to directly take up some bone strengthening training regeime, swimming would be sufficient.

Jaki, although chlorine is a poison it's only bad for you when it's in a gaseous form, when's it's dilluted in water it's perfectly harmless. Also, if you think that competitive swimmers will swim up to something like 15 times a week, well they couldn't do that if it was harmful.
Having said that, chlorine allergies are quite common. I used to have a mild allergy where if i didn't shower after i swam the chlorine evaporating off my skin would make my eyes and nose run and I would have sneezing fits, nothing too bad, just a bit of a nuisance and i'd look a bit of a mess for a few hours. Others however will come up with rashes, but this is rare. My friend, who swam in the Commonwealths, used to have to take prescribed pills to reduce the symptoms. I suppose if you think about it, the pools need a chemical strong enough to neutralise any wee etc that gets put into the pool, so some sensitive people are bound to have a reaction.
For most people though, the worst that happens is they get dry skin and their hair will be bleached (this only happens if you swim A LOT, i once walked into a hairdresser and the first thing she said was "you swim don't you?").

Hope that helps, sorry for the essay. Swimming is my chosen sport and I've done it for many years and i love it!

Also, watch the Gala at Manchester that's on at the moment, it's absolutely wonderful, coverage on BBC2 at 7pm.

Hello All! I have been very interested in the swimming blogs as I go swimming every week day morning at 7 a.m. and have been doing this for many years. I am retired now, but kept up the swimming as I did this when I was working. It is very easy for me to get into a routine whilst I am swimming and I swim for between 50 and 60 lengths. However, I just cannot make myself go faster - is it an age thing Lisa? Can you suggest anything at all to speed up my swimming? Well done everybody - I think you are all fantastic! All the best.

hi lisa, i totally agree with you, as well as not causing injuries it seems to act as form of physio if you have them. a nice dip in the sea soothes a lot of aches

Jeannie what stroke do you swim? and do you just get in and swim or do you mix it up and swim in blocks of smaller distances at all?


Yea exactly Paul, a lot of runners for example absolutely hate swimming because they do it when they're too injured to run haha!

Apologies if this is not the appropriate forum to make this post - but I would like to buy a sports watch which can log both my swimming times and my running times (my swimming times are more important). Can anyone recommend one?
Thank You!

No idea about a swimming watch, sorry, but feeling envious about you water babes! I can run and run, but get in a pool and I really struggle. I only learnt to swim about 5-6 years ago (am just 40), and wondering if that has anything to do with it? I seem to struggle to breathe. I'd be really interested in how I can improve...

Answers on a post card, please!

I'm with you Julia - I normally run but I'm currently limited to swimming due to a recent operation. I just can't do it well enough to feel like I'm getting a good work-out. I'm a bit of a girlie swimmer too, as I can't put my face under the water to breath, so plod up and down doing breast stroke with my head up...

Mind you, Lisa's comment is probably true too! I don't swim as a matter of choice, I only do it because I have to.

I admire you runners out there - I can't run for peanuts! I love swimming too and have built up my time a bit. Lisa is the expert but my front crawl improved when I started wearing goggles. I keep my head under for 3 strokes and then breathe to the right on the 4th. This is probably all wrong (I'm self taught from watching my children's swimming lessons!) but I can't breathe on the left for some strange reason!

Lisa, have you done the Swimathon yet? I'm doing it tomorrow at 7pm but am quite geared up for it. Just hope I have the energy after a day in work!

Hi, yea i did it yesterday. Joker of a lap counter made me swim about 10 extra lengths, but never mind. How did your swim go?

hiya, keen swimmers may already know all this, but there are a few tips on how to get the most out of swimming in this article
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/ women/body_and_soul/article3592554.ece

Also, does anyone else have difficulty with the breathing pattern in front crawl? I can never seem to get the timing right

Glad you had a good swimathon. I put about mine in the swimathon thread in AbFab (are you in that group? If not, it seems the most active for posts).

We got to the pool, there was no-one from Swimathon there, we were all put in the 25m training pool instead of 50m pool!! ... and no-one to count for us. So had to count the 100 myself which was OK. Some had to count 200! I did mine in 1 hour 3 mins which was a personal best for me (front crawl) .. think the fast swimmers kept my pace up as well.

I think I've raised over £200 so am really pleased with that.

Swam with my kids on Saturday and Sunday but had day off today, maybe tomorrow. Back at it on Wednesday otherwise the weight will go back up again!

I am with you; tho I think I'll have to try counting as Jaki T suggests (back up the page), but some specific coaching could be in order. I just never seem to be able to breathe enough in.... But maybe you're not supposed to be taking a lungful (as I do in running), but shallower breaths?

It can be so disheartening to have to stop after 2 lengths and catch breath, and go again..

the swimming is going well, but not swimminf this week, just got a new tattoo and cant swinm till its healed. plentuy of walking will comopensate though. no idea what weight i am not weighing myself at present but clothes are feeling looser and lots of friends saying i have lost weight.

Gordon, is that the male equivalent of the girls having a manicure to treat ourselves when we reach a milestone in the weight loss programme?

Hello all! Sorry, I didn't get back to you until now Lisa - I couldn't find the forum until now! I do mix up my strokes, doing a mixture of front crawl, back crawl and breaststroke. I start swimming at 7 a.m. and usually finish about forty five minutes later. I have no problem with stamina and do put my face in the water! My problem is speed - I do about 55 to 60 lengths in that time (25 metre pool) but would love to do a bit more. I do enjoy it and there are a great group of people who go at that time (most before work) and we have all become good friends. I do think that I am the matriach though as I am 60+! The youngest is about 18. It feels great when you come outside and do what you have to do for the rest of the day!
All ther best x

Jeannie that is an impressive time that you do in the mornings!

I went swimming tonight after my Spanish lesson and I just about managed a mile. Thought of you as you said you try and do a mile!

I can only do front crawl, I'm terrible at the other strokes! I take my 7 year old son to Recreational Swimming on a Saturday morning and he was trying to show me backstroke but my arms were all over the place! Kids are really good at backstroke for some reason.

I've finally got my goggles sorted and don't have such red eyes now with my new ones. Need a new bather as my current one is getting a bit big. Do you wear the Speedo Endurance? I swear by those as the normal Speedo one I recently bought only lasted a few weeks despite me rinsing out in cold water every day. I swim about 5 or 6 times a week.

Can anyone recommend another make similar to Speedo Endurance that doesn't wear out and go seethrough?

Hello all again! Just posted my message when the box went blank and I am having to start all over again!Was just saying to Julia that I too, felt like her when I started to swim and had to stop and gasp for breath before I could swim a length! However, I persevered and through time have been able to build up my stamina and can now swim a mile if I have the time (and inclination) to do so! I was never taught how to swim properly, and like you Jaki, could only do the front crawl but have just struggled away, practicing at the quiet times and can now swim all three strokes pretty adequately. I may say, quite sedately too! I do envy those swimmers who effortlessly zoom up and down the pool!
I have very short hair Jaki, so never bother with a cap but my friends usually all wear the endurance as it seems to be the longest lasting.

i suppose it is my little reward to myself

Hello everybody, I used to swim a lot at school - every morning 6:00 - 7:00 and every afternoon for another hour. I did try and continue to swim at Univeristy (by myself at the gym) and now that I have left university. I bought a kickboard and also those small fins and webbed gloves. I try and vary what I do when I swim. I will do 10 lengths of just kicking, then 10 lengths of just pulling, then 10 with fins and 10 full stroke. Front crawl is the best to burn calories as it gets your heart pumping more than breastroke. Swimming is really good and once you know how its addictive. Something else that is very good (and maybe runners would like this) is to buy a Speedo buoyancy belt and run laps of the pool. Its essentially the same movement as running but harder due to the resistance of the water. I think the distance "run" in the water is the equivalent to the distance (and calories burned) to 5 times the distance on land. Its hard work though but very good for weight loss.

Hi Clare - welcome to the Club.

I am a runner and I have seen water running recommended before - but I think I would feel a bit silly doing it at my local pool!?

They run aqua jogging lanes in our local 50m pool but I've never seen anyone doing it. There was an article on aqua jogging in B&S a few months ago that was very interesting.

I was pleased to hear, Claire, that front crawl burns most calories as that is the only stroke I can do competently.

I know butterfly also burns lots of calories but most people find it really hard!!
Teresa - I guess people might think you look strange but I try to say to myself "At least I am trying". In the end you have to try and not let it bother you because if they are judging you on that...well then they are not worth knowing in my opinion. I know its easier said than done though!!

I'm recovering from a broken hip, fell off my bike. So swimming is the only activity I can manage at present (have to swim with a float between my knees as I can't twist my hip). Swimming is a great activity for all, especially other sport athletes. I was swimming most mornings before my accident anyway.

If you measure calorie burn over a 30 min period of same effort, swimming would come last behind, running, cycling and rowing. But with least risk of injury.

The thing you have to bear in mind is if you enjoy it. Because if you do you're more likely to continue going and maybe more often so over a long period of time you'd burn more weight than doing a sport you don't enjoy.
Then as your swimming improves you can go faster or longer, burning even more calories.

i just do breast stroke, mow doing 32 lengths which is half a mile, i have also started going to the gym 3 times a week.