A Fit Tip: Beat the Heat & Swim!
PIN IT!I’m not sure what the weather is like everywhere else in the country, but in Washington D.C. it is hot. Not just it’s the middle of summer type of hot, it’s unbearably, sticky, middle of the Middle Eastern desert hot. This heat makes it nearly impossible [or just plan crazy] to work out or run outside. At least for me. So instead of moving all of my workouts indoors on a treadmill machine [I get bored easily] I decided to rekindle my long lost love for swimming and hit a pool for my workout!
My love for swimming comes from being an actual swimmer in school [was on the high school swim team] and I know not everyone shares the same love for the water. However, swimming is one of the best workouts you can do because it works almost every single muscle in your body simultaneously. Swimming improves cardiovascular conditioning, muscle strength, endurance, posture, and flexibility all at the same time. Your cardiovascular system also benefits because swimming improves your body’s use of oxygen without overworking your heart. Swimming also tones your upper and lower body because you’re using almost all of your major muscle groups. The best strokes for all-over body toning are the freestyle, breaststroke and backstroke.
Besides a full body tone, swimming also burns some serious calories per hour. For example, a 155 pound woman who swims freestyle laps with a light/moderate effort burns about 480 calories an hour! A woman of the same size who swims with a stronger, more vigorous effort will burn up to 600 calories per hour!
So this summer, instead of sweating outside, hop in a pool for an all around body tone and calorie burn!
