I’m sure you know that swimming isn’t only a fun exercise but it also has benefits for your health. It is good for your heart, can tone your muscles and aid weight loss.

So how many calories can you burn by swimming?

It has been estimated that a 150lb person will burn around 400 calories during an hour long swim at a moderate pace. This can increase to 700 if the swim is vigorous.

Certain factors affect the number of calories you will burn:

• Duration
• Intensity
• Swim efficiency
• Swim stroke
• Weight

If you spotted ’swim stroke’ in there you may want to know which stroke burns most calories. The fastest swim stroke is freestyle and this is the primary calorie burner. However, you should also take the length of your swim time into consideration.

Swimming breaststroke for a longer period can readily use up the same number of calories and it is physically easier to maintain.

It all comes down to what feels comfortable to you and what you are aiming to achieve.

Good luck and feel the burn!