How Many Calories Burned During Swimming Vs. Walking or Running
I had a discussion with my DH and workout partner on the way back from the swimming pool. We were wondering how many calories we were actually burning during swimming, and does this figure come close to what is burnt during our treadmill sessions (where he runs and I power-walk).
I have been researching this for a while and found some interesting figures. Nothing very definite, but I’ll share what I have.
So far, when it comes to running and walking, the most thorough resource I have found an article which brings this as the bottom line: During running you burn .75 x your weight (in lbs) for every mile that you run. During walking you burn .53 x your weight (in lbs) for every mile that you walk.
They make a good point about this being the total calories spent during exercise, and not the net calories spent (i.e. once you subtract the amount of calories that your body would require during that time even if you were asleep). I think that the figure of the total calories spent is still more useful, simply because that’s the way it’s counted all over the place. Just easier to compare that way.
Another point though - their figures relate to distance and not time. They separate running from walking but they give a range of speeds, hence not limiting this in time.
So, how do we compare this to swimming? Various tables that I’ve seen show that swimming breaststroke is roughly mid-way between running and walking. Take a look at the tables here. Another useful link got me a calculator that asks you for your body weight (critical info) and tells you how much you’ll be spending doing each of a long line of activities. From sex to gardening and through every type of sports. According to them as well, swimming burns as much calories as a Walk/short light jogging. Running burns a whole lot more and walking burns less.
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