From: samari@watnxt2.ucr.edu (Tammy Woodley)
Newsgroups: alt.support.diet
Subject: Re: Wow! I can't believe the inspiration here! :)
Date: 10 Sep 92 22:51:45 GMT
Reply-To: samari@watserv.ucr.edu
Distribution: usa

In article <1992Sep7.150611.24162@inmet.camb.inmet.com>  
mazur@inmet.camb.inmet.com (Beth Mazur) writes:
> 
> Nobody said you didn't expend calories while swimming.  The theory is,
> that like seals, humans tend to keep a subcutaneous layer of fat to
> minimize heat loss to the water (which is usually colder than body
> temperature).

As a matter of fact, you DO expend a lot of calories in swimming, and
if I remember correctly, a mile of running/walking will expend the same
for a mile of swimming (is this correct?)  In any case, you do burn
calories, but you do not lose the fat.
> 
> In his PBS special, Covert Bailey pointed out that one of the problems
> with swimming, as it applies to fat burning (NOT fitness), is that it
> uses primarily the upper body muscles.  I wouldn't have believed this
> except they did such a good job with the underwater cameras at the
> Olympics that you could see that the strong freestyle swimmers were
> practically *dragging* their legs!  

What was the name of this special?  I'm sorry I missed it!

> 
> The other problem for fat people is that their extra fat actually makes
> it easier for them to stay afloat, which ironically makes it easier to
> swim!  I had to swim 100 yards (5 laps) in order to sign up for a 
> rowing program recently.  I thought, no problem.  Well, I had lost close
> to 100 lbs since I had swam last, and I'll tell you, that 100 yards
> was much harder without the extra fat to keep me floating :-).

This is very true.  So if you swim, make sure you check your heart rate
every 100yds or so and make sure your are withing your fat burning heart
rate (usually 130- 160), this way you know that you are burning as much
fat as possible without overdoing it or taking it easy.

> 
> >I also wonder whether the actual calories burned in exercise is
> >really as important as breaking sedentary habits and establishing
> >new ones.  If one enjoys swimming then that's probably what one
> >should do.  
> 
> I agree 100%.  You can lose fat and become fit swimming--but you can
> probably do both things faster (and with less mental stress if you
> don't want to be seen in public in a bathing suit :-) if you pick
> a different exercise such as cycling or walking.

YES.  Swimming is a good starting excercise cuz it can work out your
cardiovascular (sp?) system while being less strenuous on your back
and ankles.  But, once you've gotten into some shape and you want to
see that fat come off, switch to out-of-water aerobic excercise.

> 
> I've always hated walking.  But I signed up for the same VLCD as Peter
> Brooks, and they required a minimum of 2000 calories a week of PA--
> physical activity.  So I started walking.  And I'm still walking--usually
> I do 9 miles a day (3x3).  According to my calculations, I have
> lost about 60 pounds since January, just from the walking alone.

Wow! 9 miles a day!  That's GREAT!  Just goes to show you that you DON't
have to jog or run to get a good workout and lose fat! :)


--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tammy Woodley (student)      | " It's not I who am crazy.....
UC Riverside                 |   It's I who am MAD!!!!.......
Samari@watserv.ucr.edu or    |   We're not hitch hiking anymore....
Samari@psychophysics.ucr.edu |   We're riding!!!!!!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: alt.support.diet