Water Workout for Moms

[Totsy]

Since this is Fitness Month on Momtrends, I'm going to be tackling a new workout on Mondays.  First up: US Masters Swimming. 
I just became a national member and joined local team. The last time I was on a swim team was 1987 when I was in high school and Bon Jovi's Livin' On a Prayer was the top song of the year.  I thought it was time to jump back in.

Why swimming? Well you've got to swim to finish a triathalon and I hope to complete one in June.  Plus, it is low impact (low injury) and relatively inexpensive. Swimming tones the arms and torso--typical mommy trouble spots and feels like a mini stretching session.

What will you need? A swimsuit (I am a fan of the performance swim line from Athleta), I suggest the Paradise two-piece). Goggles--I just picked up a pair of Nike swim goggles that keep my from bashing into the pool walls. And a cap-they don't look that goofy when everybody wears them.  I'm keen on the Lycra versions from Speedo.  That's it--you can get fully outfitted for under $100.


The workout: If you are not a pro, try to sign up for some coaching either a masters group or a personal lesson.  Our coach comes prepared with 4-6 different workouts that we can pick from.  I like the variety of having different drills to work on.  For some ideas, visit active.com to check out four swim workouts.


Use this fun calorie calculator to plan your workouts:

Calories Burned Calculator
Estimate the calories you burned swimming:
Pace:	swimming, treading water, moderate effort, generalswimming, lake, ocean, riverswimming, leisurely, not lap swimming, generalswimming laps, freestyle, slow, moderate or light effortswimming, backstroke, generalswimming, crawl, slow (50 yards/minute), moderate or light effortswimming, sidestroke, generalswimming, synchronizedswimming, treading water, fast vigorous effortswimming, breaststroke, generalswimming laps, freestyle, fast, vigorous effortswimming, butterfly, generalswimming, crawl, fast (75 yards/minute), vigorous effort
Weight:		PoundsKilograms
Time:		HoursMinutes

Swimming can help with managing high cholesterol