Friday, April 17, 2009

Swimming as a Work-Out Option




At last, warmer temperatures are greeting us as we step out of our homes…Spring is in the air! Most of us have a little winter baggage to shed, and bathing suit season, only 3 short months away, looms large in our minds.

Other signs of a West Coast Spring are all around us…fair weather runners are out in droves, with the Sun Run scheduled for April 19th. We breathe the warmer air in, stretch our limbs in every direction, and look forward to the freedom of our lighter wardrobes.

Did you know that regular swimming builds endurance, muscle strength and cardio-vascular fitness? It can serve as a cross-training element to your regular workouts. Before a land workout, you can use the pool for a warm-up session.

Swimming with increasing effort to gradually increase your heart rate and stimulate your muscle activity, is easily accomplished in the water. After a land workout, swimming a few laps can help you cool-down, move blood through your muscles to help them recover, and help you relax as you glide through the water.

Swimming burns calories at a rate of about 3 calories a mile per pound of bodyweight. If you weigh 150 lbs. and it takes you 30 minutes to swim one mile (1,760 yards or 1,609 meters), then you will be using about 900 calories in one hour.

Swimming is also an activity that the whole family can enjoy, so come down to MBody Fitness & Wellness Spa (in the Pacific Palisades Hotel) and splash into Spring in our beautiful 55’ warm-water lap pool! Or join us for an Aqua Fit class (call ahead for our current class schedule) and take advantage of the buoyancy that water has to offer, while getting a full body workout.

Not ready for the full dip but still want to shed the winter blahs? Drop in and use the Jacuzzi, steam room or, for a small additional charge, try a few sessions in our Infra-Red Sauna. The benefits of infra-red are many, such as detoxification, relieving aches and pains, and weight loss.

Even though our West Coast Winter was reasonably kind this year, plan now to enjoy Spring to the fullest!

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