Hello all!
I've been exercising for most of my life to some extent, but since I started to lose weight, I would like to focus more on cardio, whereas before I focused mostly on weight training (also have some injuries that make weights difficult). I have arthritis in my hip and both feet, so I usually do no/low-impact workouts. I have been riding my bike a lot since Spring, and I walk to work and anywhere else I can (grocery store, etc.).
Now that Winter is approaching I'm thinking about what good cardio work-outs I can do indoors. I would rather not join the gym again, but there is an aquatics center that does drop-in swimming classes. You swim laps, and a coach is there to help you improve your form.
This would be new to me so I have a couple of questions. One is, for anyone else that could swim but never swam laps, how long does it take before you don't feel like you are just flapping around in the water?
My other question is about calories burned. I've read that swimming is good cardio, but I've also read that because you are working out in the water you don't burn as much because your body tried to hold onto fat because of the lowered temperature. This may be a pure myth, but I thought if anyone would know the true story, it would be you gals here on 3FC.
I don't get that "cardio" feeling from swimming, so I just need some reassurance that I really will be burning calories and improving my heart.
Thanks so much for any help! I'm hoping this works out because I'm 41 and would like to add something that I could be doing for the rest of my life!