I recently dislocated my hip, my nerves are damaged etc. It actually came off the socket and they put it back in. I have had problems with my right leg and hip for a long time now. It is painful to walk, do regular workouts but I can swim. Swimming is not painful and I was wondering how much do you have to swim to burn calories? The last thing I want to do right now with summer is pack on the weight, get out of shape and not moving my leg seems to cause trouble. Anyone have ideas?
Laurie F2007-06-11T07:36:47Z
Favorite Answer
Swimming is a great way to burn calories and tone muscles. It's great because it's zero impact and it works the entire body. You'll not only work your legs (from kicking) and arms (from the strokes) but you'll tone your back, chest, abs, glutes, all over!
Try to vary your strokes, and do 2 or 3 different ones each session. Since I'm not good at butterfly, I always do freestyle, breast stroke, and back stroke.
Here's an example of what I do when I want to swim for an exercise. Oh, and when I'm describing my routine, a "lap" is "there and back" and a length is just one way.
I start out with a nice-paced freestyle lap or two to get warmed up. Then I'll do the same with breast stroke. Medium paced, there and back, twice.
Then I go pretty hard freestyle again about 2-3 laps. This gets my heart rate up pretty quickly. When I'm tired, I go to breast stroke.
If I ever get too out of breath, I switch to back stroke. That way I can breathe whenever I want, catch my breath, but I never stop working out.
Once I've caught my breath, I go back to freestyle. And basically repeat all over again until I'm done. Usually about a half hour.
To keep the pace going, I have really worked on my flip turns. That way I never have to stop and hold on to the side of the pool. It's a non-stop workout for 20-30 minutes, and I feel great afterwards.
It's a GREAT all over workout.
Remember to drink water! A lot of people get dehydrated while swimming. All the water makes you think you're not sweating as much and also makes you not as thirsty. So you have to make a conscious effort to drink water before and after your workout.
Also, wear goggles so your eyes don't get all red and yucky. :)
I'm not quite sure of the exact number, but I do know that swimming burns more calories than any other physical activity. Swimming is a great exercise and it's also really good for your heart. Just keep swimming!