When I’m not at school during the summer, I’m back home at my parents’ house, where I grew up. We have a pool out back, and it’s my favorite thing in the world--on a hot summer day, there’s nothing better than plunging in there. When I was growing up, I didn’t really run or play sports, but I would spend hours in the pool. As I got older and realized I needed to exercise if I was going to stay skinny, I started swimming laps.
I still do that every summer, and I tend to lose 10-15 pounds. And I need to lose those pounds, because I gain them back every school year! I believe it’s because I don’t swim. I’m not sure what the solution is, here, because I really don’t want to use an indoor pool or walk back with cold hair during the winter. Am I doomed to gain weight every winter and lose it in the pool every summer?
There can be no doubt that swimming is good for you. Neave Group, a swimming pool builder in New York, told us that the health benefits of pools are a major reason that many people choose to install them. Experts say that swimmers can burn anywhere from 413-931 calories per hour (the exact figure depends on the weight of the swimmer, the type of stroke, and the speed of the swimming). And since swimming is a low-impact exercise, it’s a good choice for older folks, extremely heavy individuals, and others who might have issues with running and other high-impact alternatives.
But, at the same time, swimming is not the end-all and be-all of healthy. Nothing is--as the experts at weight loss-focused online retailer NetNutri told us, losing weight is about changing habits and combining those changes into a new lifestyle. Exercise, what you eat, how much of it you eat, medical solutions, and other factors have to work in harmony to make a real and lasting difference.
What seems to be happening in your case is that your healthy exercise habits are dissolving once you’re separated from your favorite exercise tool--your outdoor pool. But by tracing your habits at school, you may be able to find a way to replace your swimming habit with another healthy habit and stay in shape.
Look carefully at when you swim--is it in the morning? The afternoon? Think about why you swim and what you like about it, too. Is it the convenience? Perhaps running is your best bet, then, as you can do it anywhere. Do you hate the cold? Check out heated indoor exercise areas on your campus.
Staying in shape at college isn’t easy: 70% of students gain weight during their college years, and students gain an average of 10 pounds in their very first semester. But by taking control of your habits, you may find that you can replace your swimming habit with another healthy one and force your at-school schedule and habit set into a shape that more closely resembles your healthy summers. Good luck!
“We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.” -- John Dryden
