Did You Know How Many Calories Swimming Can Burn?

Weight loss and fun do not go hand in hand. But there is one way of cutting excess body fat the fun way and that's swimming! This summertime activity is good for your heart, muscle tone and even promotes weight loss. But just like all forms of workout, it is necessary to balance swimming with a healthy and balanced diet. When all factors are in place, swimming burns as many as 200 calories in one minute. Now that's some serious calorie burning, much more than the calories you burn through cycling or running.

Swimming is a non-impact sport which does not put much pressure on the lower back and knees. So if you are injured, this one sport is a great energy-burning option for you. But keeping all other factors aside, how much calories can one burn through swimming?

Less than half an hour of swimming can be good enough for you to burn a couple of hundred calories. There are a number of swimming techniques you can make use of like the butterfly stroke or the breaststroke to burn much more calories than usual. Either a more intense stroke or an increased pace can up the number of calories you burn while swimming. The best part about swimming is that you do not have to go through the old-school sweaty sessions in the gym.

How many calories are burnt?

The answer is it depends on your body metabolism. A person weighing 150 pounds will burn 400 calories in a one-hour session of swimming at a normal pace. If the person increases his pace, the number of calories burnt will be somewhere around 700. The number of calories you burn while swimming depends on a number of factors. They include:

1. Duration of the swim

2. Intensity of the workout

3. Swimming stroke practiced

4. Your body weight

5. Your swimming efficiency

Which swim stroke burns most calories?

Swimming faster and covering more distance is the key to burning more calories. So you must practice the fast swim stroke to burn maximum calories. This stroke is known as the freestyle stroke. However, you must not continue to practice this one all the time. Try other strokes as well. Mixing them up will keep the swim session interesting and will work most of your muscles.

The whole point is to maximize your swim sessions. So if you like practicing other strokes more than the freestyle one, you would wish to spend more time in the pool. As a result, you end up burning more calories.

How to begin?

As a beginner, you must not aim for unrealistic goals. You must take it slow. Build up with time. If you try to do too much too soon, you may end up hurting yourself. One or two sessions, 30 minutes at a time is good enough for beginners. Every week you can increase 5 minutes of your swim session.

What to eat?

A swimmer's diet has to be good enough to fuel the workout. If you are burning 400 calories in just 30 minutes, you need to fuel your body accordingly. Carbs are the main source of energy here. Swimmers must fuel themselves 30 minutes before the workout session. It is also recommended to refuel after 30 minutes with some carbs and lean protein. 

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.