It Burns More Calories Than You Expect
A 70 kg person swimming freestyle at moderate pace burns roughly 500 to 600 calories per hour. That is comparable to running, but without the shin splints, knee stress, or need to survive a Delhi summer afternoon on an open road. The water itself creates 12 to 14 times more resistance than air, so every stroke recruits muscle groups that a standard gym session isolates one at a time. A 2015 study published in the International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education confirmed that recreational swimmers had significantly lower all-cause mortality rates than runners, walkers, and sedentary individuals, a finding that held across age groups.
