In our gym classes, we have all heard that swimming is the best form of exercise due to its low impact and low resistance on the body. It is also a full-body workout and burns calories at a high rate. Regardless of age or ability, everyone can swim for exercise. Sounds perfect, right? Before you hop in a pool and hit the laps, there are a few misconceptions about swimming you might want to know.
Swimming is harder on the body than you think
Swimming is a very repetitive exercise. The sport uses unique movements that are uncomfortable to the body and cause tremendous stress. As a result, repetitive injuries are the most common injuries in swimming. These injuries mostly appear in the knees, elbows, and shoulders and keep just as serious and painful as impact injuries. In Swim World Magazine, the most common injuries come from overuse and poor technique. To prevent these injuries, you must learn how to swim efficiently through the water.
Good form is the basis of any good swimmer and is not limited to elite swimmers. Proper technique can help you swim faster, lessen the stress from repetitive injuries, and improve your workout. It also makes swimming easier. If you want to learn swimming technique, there are many excellent resources, such as MySwimPro. They help you create workouts based on your level and give you technical advice and help.
You have to wait to swim after eating
You might have heard from your parents that you need to wait 30 minutes after eating to begin swimming. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth! This misconception originates from the idea that your body needs extra blood to help the body digest, but swimming cause blood to go to other parts of the body. Your body does use an extra blood supply, but not enough to make you sick.
Eating before you swim can improve your workout. A nutritionist from Duke Health, Elizabeth Politi, wrote “eating a combination of carbohydrates and protein before swimming will give you energy.” It can also aid in a faster recovery. Some good snacks include a granola bar, Goldfish crackers, Applesauce, and peanut butter. So, before you hop in a pool, eat something!
You only need to swim to lose weight
You might have heard that swimming is an excellent form of cardio, comparable to running for burning calories. However, you cannot lose weight by swimming alone. A study by Loughborough University found that land-based exercises such as running or cycling alter energy intake, but swimming increases appetite and energy intake.
Cold water is the culprit. When swimming, your body temperature drops and stops producing an appetite-suppressing hormone, increasing appetite. As a result, you end up eating the calories you just burned off in your workout. The best way to optimize your weight loss is to have basic appetite control combined with strengthening and toning exercises.
Overall, swimming is excellent exercise! It tones and strengthens your body and also burns lots of calories. It is also an exercise that can be performed at any stage of life. However, we must understand swimming so that we can optimize our workouts. So, next time you hop into the pool for your workout, remember these misconceptions and get the most out of your workout.
Work Cited:
“Fitness: Starting a Swimming Routine.” (2022) Retrieved from US Masters Swimming, www.usms.org
James A King, Lucky K. Wasse, and David J. Stensel, Leicestershire, UK. The Acute Effects of Swimming on Appetite Food Intake, and Plasma Acylated Ghrelin. US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. 2010/10/3
Thackray AE, Willis SA, Sherry AP, Clayton DJ, Broom DR, Demashkieh M, Sargeant JA, James LJ, Finlayson G, Stensel DJ, King JA. An acute bout of swimming increases post-exercise energy intake in young healthy men and women. Appetite. 2020 Nov 1;154:104785. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2020.104785. Epub 2020 Jun 18. PMID: 32565123.
White LJ, Dressendorfer RH, Holland E, McCoy SC, Ferguson MA. Increased caloric intake soon after exercise in cold water. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2005;15(1):38–47.
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