Weight Loss - swimming

Before swimming as part of a weight loss program, it is advisable that you contact your doctor to ensure it is medically safe for you to do so. However, except for people suffering from a specific medical condition, swimming is one of the safest ways of loosing weight.

Why is Swimming benefitial over other exercises?

Swimming is considered as one of the safest ways to achieving your weight loss goals. This is because its the only form of exercise where your body is exercising without having to support the full weight of your body. This makes it ideal for anyone who may want to exercise without damaging their joints.

The reason we suggest swimming as a form of exercise (unless you suffer from a medical condition) is because it exercises all your major muscle groups, including your heart and lungs, without actually putting any excessive pressure on your joints. In addition, because water is 14 times thicker than air, by trying to move your arms and legs through water, you would also be tonning those muscles as well. This makes swiming the perfect exercise if you are at the start of your Weight Loss program.

So, once you have noticed a reasonable weight loss, should you still cary on swimming as before? NO. This is because in order for you to continue to burn fat, you must always try to stop your body getting used to a certain exercise plan. For this reason, once you start to see a change in your weight, it is recommended that you either try a land based Weight Loss exercises, or, water aerobics.

Is swiming as effective as a land based exercise program?

No. This is because although swimming is great as a form of "starter" exercise program, your body weight will always be supported by the water around you. This means there will come a time where you would have reached a limit of how much calories you would burn during a given swimming session. It is therefore recommend that after 3-4 weeks into yor weight loss program that you start to introduce a form of land based exercise (please ensure you consult your doctor before you do this).

Children & Obesity

In simple terms, obesity is caused when the body stores excessive calories. Obesity in civilized countries is reaching epidemic proportions. What is worrying is that the children too are now more obese than ever before in the history of man kind!

Child Obesity and Weight Loss

Calories and Weight Loss

Weight loss depends on the amount of calorie intake. Calories are used by the body to perform its day-to-day functions. However, when the calories taken in is greater than the energy burnt, then the excess calories are stored as fat. The most common reasons for excessive consumption of calories are:

Psychological
Emotional
Lack of knowledge
Habit

calories and weight loss

Weight loss plans

There are a number of VERY dangerous diet plans used to target weight loss. A dangerous, or misleading, diet is one which provides "rapid" result. Remember, in order for a diet to be effective and safe, your body needs time to adjust to the change in your lifestyle. This is because rapid dieting will almost always have health consequences, and in fact research has also shown that as soon as your body adjusts to the diet, you will start to put on weight at even a higher rate than before.

Weight loss diet

Weight Loss plans to be avoided

For legal reasons we are unable to actually name dangerous or misleading weight loss diets, however, the following is a list which should help you identify these diets for yourself.

Any diet that cuts out any essential food groups (Specially carbohydrates!)
Any diet that promises or guarantees fast result
Any diet that involves you drinking only liquid food.
Any diet that involves you buying processed and ready made "food substitutes".

Weight loss diets

Diet

The food you eat is the single most important factor in your weight loss program. Weight loss is only achieved through a healthy diet.

Weight loss diet and health

Exercise

Exercise is vital not only to a safe weight loss plan, but, is also crucial to the general operation and well being of the human body.

Weight loss exercise

Measuring Body Fat

Measuring the Body Fat is a much more accurate way of measuring how your weight loss program is going than using a bathroom scale. The bathroom scales are highly misleading!

Measure Body Fat

Swimming

Swimming is a VERY effective and safe way of burning calories. Its one of the safest ways of exercising as you do not put any excessive force on the joints.

Swimming

Walking

Walking is one of the safest form of exercise as you burn those calories without excessive wear and tear on the joints.

Walking

Pilates and Yoga

Pilates and Yoga are important to any weight loss program as they both encourage good body posture and alignment.

Pilates