The principles of swimming for weight loss and getting used to water: basic exercises in breathing, walking, and treading water.

II. The Weight Loss Principle of Swimming

Swimming is a high-intensity, full-body aerobic exercise that burns a lot of calories, making it one of the best exercises for weight loss.

Swimming exercises various parts of the body by engaging muscles and joints. The buoyancy of water alleviates the pressure caused by gravity when standing, allowing for maximum relaxation of the joints. Because swimming involves a significant amount of exercise, and the body burns far more calories in water than in air, it requires a substantial calorie replenishment. Therefore, by swimming daily, excess body fat can be gradually eliminated, achieving a good goal of weight loss. Experiments have shown that swimming continuously for 45 minutes can result in a weight loss of approximately 350 grams. Therefore, an overweight person who swims for 30 minutes daily while maintaining their usual diet will quickly lose accumulated body fat and appear more fit.

In recent years, some experts in human body shaping have pointed out that swimming, in addition to weight loss, can also help correct certain poor body posture. This is because when swimming, people tend to extend their spine and lengthen their strokes to increase speed. This is beneficial for correcting hunchback and scoliosis. During swimming, the body is supported by the buoyancy of the water, and the arms and legs work together, with all joints and muscles moving evenly and in a coordinated manner. This allows for greater freedom and flexibility in all parts of the body, leading to a more balanced and healthy physique. Furthermore, the water flow causes slight friction on the skin, promoting blood circulation in the capillaries and metabolism of epidermal cells, resulting in smoother, more moisturized, and more elastic skin. The buoyancy, pressure, and resistance of the water act as a massage for the whole body, providing a mechanical massage effect for weight loss.

Swimming is a suitable exercise for people of all ages with mild to moderate obesity. Some overweight individuals find that trying to lose weight on land is too strenuous, leading to fatigue and potential injury to the supporting joints of the lower limbs. In water, however, the buoyancy of the water largely counteracts the body's weight, significantly reducing the burden and making exercise much easier. Furthermore, water resistance is over 800 times that of air, meaning that swimming consumes far more energy than land-based exercises.

Basic swimming movements

To lose weight through swimming, you must first learn to swim, become familiar with the water, and master certain swimming techniques before you can engage in swimming exercises.

1. Familiarity with water

Getting used to the water is an important part of learning various swimming strokes. Its purpose is to allow beginners to perceive the buoyancy, pressure, and resistance of water through their senses, gradually adapting to the characteristics and environment of water, eliminating fear of water, and laying a solid foundation for learning and mastering various swimming techniques later. Getting used to the water is the primary task in learning to swim; only after becoming familiar with the water can one dare to enter the water for swimming practice, engage in swimming training, and achieve the goal of weight loss. Getting used to the water mainly includes learning walking, breathing, gliding, treading water, and floating in the water.

(I) Breathing

Learning to breathe is a challenging aspect of swimming practice and a crucial element in the familiarization phase with the water; it should be integrated throughout the entire training process. It enables beginners to master basic swimming breathing methods, processes, and rhythms, adapting to the stimulation of head-first submersion and overcoming any fear of water.

1. Key points of breathing exercises

(1) Before practicing, take a deep breath, then hold your breath, lower your head or slowly squat down and immerse your head in the water.

(2) After pausing for a moment, raise your head and exhale through your mouth and nose, then inhale. This will make it less likely for you to choke on water.

(3) Breathing is the key point for beginners and should be integrated into the teaching process. Correct swimming breathing involves inhaling through the mouth and exhaling through the mouth and nose.

2. Breathing Exercises

(1) Holding your breath underwater

① In the water, hold onto the edge of the pool, the waterline, or your companion's hand with both hands, and take a deep breath first.

②Submerge your head in water and hold your breath. When you can't hold your breath any longer, quickly stand up and lift your head.

③ The time you hold your breath should gradually increase until you can hold it for as long as possible.

(2) Exhaling underwater

① Hold onto the edge of the pool or the waterline with both hands, or grab your partner's hand and submerge your head in the water for as long as possible.

② Exhale slowly through your mouth and nose until you have exhaled all the waste gas in your body, then quickly get out of the water, lift your head, and inhale through your mouth.

(3) Rhythmic breathing

① Hold onto the pool edge, waterline, or your partner's hand while in the water. Take a natural breath, then submerge your head in the water, hold your breath, exhale, and then lift your head out of the water to inhale through your mouth.

② Re-enter the water, hold your breath, exhale, and repeat this rhythmically.

(II) Walking

Walking in water is the first exercise for beginners after entering the water. It helps them understand the characteristics of buoyancy and resistance in the water environment and learn basic methods to maintain body balance in the water.

1. Key points for walking practice

(1) It is usually carried out in waist-deep water, and various directions of walking and jumping exercises are performed.

(2) At the beginning, the movements should not be too large or too fast. You should maintain body coordination and balance.

(3) Practice can be combined with games such as dancing in circles, relay races in water, and net casting to enhance learning interest.

2. Walking practice methods

(1) Hold onto the edge of the pool or your companion's hand and walk in the water.

(2) Hold onto the pool (bank) or your companion's hand with one hand, and use the other hand to paddle outwards and backwards in front of your body while walking in the water.

(3) Without any support, the arms move symmetrically outward and backward in front of the chest, and the feet move forward, sideways and backward in the water.

(III) Treading Water

Treading water is a swimming posture in which the body is upright in the water with the head above the surface. There are two postures: one is to tread water with both legs simultaneously, and the other is to tread water with one leg alternately. Beginners can start by treading water with both legs simultaneously, and then learn to tread water with one leg.

1. Key points for practicing treading water

(1) When treading water, the body and the water surface should form a large angle, close to upright, with the upper body slightly leaning forward and the head always above water.

(2) When you start treading water, bend your knees, bring your lower legs toward your thighs, and bring your thighs toward your abdomen at a 90°~150° angle. When kicking, do not straighten your legs completely, and do not bring them together completely when squeezing the water. If your legs are straight or completely together, it will reduce the support surface of your body in the water and make it easier for your body to sink. Therefore, the movements should be smaller.

(3) Extend both hands horizontally in front of the chest with the elbows slightly bent, and forcefully press the water downwards and to the side in an arc shape; when pressing down to the waist, bring both hands back to the middle of the chest.

(4) When the hands start to press the water down, the legs slowly come up; when the hands make the retraction action, the legs start to kick the water down continuously.

(5) When treading water, breathing is relatively simple because the head is always above water. Generally, one breath is taken for each hand and leg movement.

2. Practice methods for treading water

(1) On land, practice pressing water downwards in an arc with both hands.

(2) Practice the kicking and clamping motion with your feet off the ground on the parallel bars.

(3) Stand in water up to shoulder depth and hold onto the edge of the trough or pool to practice the action of kicking and squeezing the water with your legs.

(4) Stand in chin-deep water and practice the downward sweeping motion with your hands apart in an arc.

(5) Stand in chin-deep water and practice coordinated hand and leg movements.

(6) In deep water, the trainee ties a rope around their chest, while a spotter on shore holds the rope. The trainee practices coordinated arm strokes and leg kicks in the water. During practice, the spotter can raise the rope appropriately if the trainee's body sinks. This method is the most effective for protection.