A pool might not be the first place you think of going when you’re looking to shape up and slim down but perhaps it should be.
No other workout burns calories, boosts metabolism and firms every muscle in your body better than a swimming workout – it doesn’t put stress on your joints either.
The body-shaping benefits of swimming workouts are the result of a perfect storm of calorie burn and muscle recruitment. An easy swim burns around 500 calories an hour, while a vigorous effort can torch almost 700 and because water is nearly 800 times denser than air, each kick, push, and pull is like a mini resistance workout for your entire body – especially your core, hips, arms, shoulders, and glutes.
So in addition to blasting calories as you swim, you build lean muscle, which ignites your metabolism so that you burn more calories once you’ve showered and dried off.
The irony is that while swimming makes you lean and mean, it’s also kind to your body. Water basically neutralizes gravity, so you become virtually weightless when immersed, giving your joints a much-needed vacation.
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The Grand Forks Aquatic Centre offers lap swimming Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 6 to 8:45 a.m. and again from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8 to 10 a.m. and again from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Afternoon lap swimming is scheduled Monday through Wednesday from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. and Thursday and Fridays from 5 until 9 p.m. The staff at the aquatic centre is more than happy to help with stroke correction or create a swim workout specific for your needs.
Private swim lessons are available if you need that extra training to help you with your swimming needs.
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Learning to swim can prevent accidents in and around the water. This fall, we will be offering swim lessons for preschool age children on Saturday mornings between 10 and 11 a.m. starting Oct. 13.
Success By 6 has once again sponsored the Parent and Tot swim and play program from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. This free family swim will run in conjunction with the swim lesson program.
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Swim Kids Level 1 to 4 Red Cross lessons will be offered in a new format this fall. Classes will run Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays from 4 to 5 p.m. for two weeks.
Swim Kids Level 5 to 10 lessons will start Tuesday, Oct. 30 for three weeks. Class sizes are limited so please give us a call today to register.
For information on swimming programs, please give Grand Forks Recreation a call at 250-442-2202 or email us at gfplay@rdkb.com.
