Swimming For Fitness And Fun!

Swimming can be a safe and fun way of getting fit and toning up and can boost your confidence as well as your health.

Swimming is a great way of getting fit and toning up and it can help boost your weight loss goals safely and healthily. Thirty minutes of steady paced swimming can earn you 1½ activity POINTS values*. The water resistance makes it a very effective workout as well as low impact - ideal for anyone with mobility problems.

Dip Your Toe In First

Getting started is sometimes the hardest part of trying a new exercise routine. With swimming, fear of the water or of what others will think of you can be a stumbling block.

Bransley Premier Leisure’s Swimming Development Officer Eddie Lim says: “A lot of pools if not most offer swimming lessons where a friendly, warm and welcoming environment will help you overcome a fear of water. Maybe try bringing a friend or family member for support.” “It’s about being comfortable in the water, if tense, your body becomes denser and you will sink. Once you learn to relax you’ll find swimming much easier.”

Strokes Ahead

Once you're in the water, try giving yourself an achievable challenge. For example, 20 lengths in 20 minutes. This will give your heart a good work out as you keep the extra effort going just that bit longer than usual!

Helen Gorman swam for Britain in the 1990s. She says: “A lot of the muscles for swimming aren’t used in day to day life so just getting in the water will help.”

She adds that counting your strokes as you go can encourage you to make longer strokes with your arms, helping you become faster in the water. “This helps you think about your technique and reach,” she said. “This drill will also help with your breathing. If you count an average of 25 strokes per length, why not try aiming for 23 strokes each length?”

Breathe In

If you are having difficulty in maintaining your swimming over longer numbers of lengths, you might want to try working on regulating your breathing to help you keep going. Getting breathing right is very helpful in fitness swimming as it expands your lung capacity when done correctly. Helen suggests trying the front crawl and breathing every five strokes per two lengths, then every four strokes, every three strokes and so on.

Top Tips From The Swimming Teachers Association

• Try and use all the strokes - breaststroke, sidestroke, backstroke, front crawl and butterfly which all develop different muscle groups.
• Use hand paddles or pullbuoys when swimming, as they help work the shoulder and arm muscles.
• Add a kickboard (float) to a regular swim routine. Legs-only laps will strengthen the leg muscles.
• Stay moving. Constant movement burns calories, and a higher level of fitness can be achieved. Keeping the heart rate elevated attains greater fitness. Between laps, try aqua-jogging using a flotation belt; another option is treading water. Both of these keep the heart rate up, while allowing a break from lap swimming.
• Be consistent. Swim regularly – once or twice a week if not more.
• Use swimming as a cross-training element to your regular workouts. Use the pool for a warm-up session, gradually increasing your heart rate. After a workout, swimming a few laps can help you cool-down, move blood through your muscles to help them recover, and help you relax.
• There are several swim for fitness programmes that have been specially created by swim experts, all of which are available to download free from the internet. Check out Zoggs’ Swim4Fitness programme at zoggs.com or Aqua Sphere’s Get Fit Swim campaign at get-fit-swim.com.
• If swimming is not for you, but you still want to experience all the benefits of exercising in water try enrolling into a professionally-run Water Aerobic Exercise Class, i.e. Aquacise. It not only provides a great work-out, but is also a great social outlet.
• If you have a fear of the water, the best advice is to seek a STA qualified teacher who specialises in adult swimming sessions. They will be sympathetic to your concerns and will be able to provide the necessary expertise and guidance to help you take the plunge. For details contact your nearest pool, or visit the STA’s Pool Postcode Finder at sta.co.uk.

* These activity POINTS values are based on a person weighing 12st 4lb.