Regular Swimming And Pool Exercise

by Shamsi
(Lahore, Pakistan)

I had never really 'worked out' much in my life, but I was very active. I played a lot of outdoor games like football, tennis etc. Nothing professionally. My body was lean, and I never felt that I needed a workout.

But soon after I got married, I started gaining a lot of weight. My diet had increased and activity had fallen. That's when I decided to do something about it. I started swimming lessons in my local pool. I learned it very quickly and became a regular at my pool.

I stared with 15 minutes of swimming daily (except Sundays), freestyle, at most 3 or 4 lengths at a time (my pool is 25 meters). Within a month, I was doing 10 non-stop lengths of 25 meters each in approximately the same amount of time.

I also started a warm-up session before my lengths and added some pool exercises to my routine. For example, in waist deep water, I did sit ups, jumps etc. Its very easy and a lot of fun and I could do many repetitions without getting tired.

Its almost 4 months since my routine and I've felt a noticeable difference in my weight and belly. Although the weight loss wasn't dramatic, I feel it was consistent and it's something I can maintain very easily. Even if I miss my routine for a couple of days, it doesn't make a lot of difference.

I would recommend swimming to anyone wishing to maintain general fitness, as it's simply the best exercise. Not ideal for a fast weight loss solution but it's sustainable.