Last week The Guardian reported how at a recent Doctor’s conference they were advised that there is no point recommending swimming as it was a waste of time. The article said –
“Swimming is a “waste of time” for most people because their technique is so bad they fail to gain any noticeable health benefit, a Government exercise expert has said. Dr Dane Vishnubala, the GP physical exercise champion for Public Health England, said many people who are sent to the pool to get in shape simply splash around using a “doggy paddle hybrid” and pass the time chatting with friends.” The average person’s ability in the pool is not sufficient to maintain a level of intensity that will enable them lose weight.”
This links into the article I have posted previously on wasting time in the gym. In that I noted how gym goers were taking 15-20 minutes from entering the gym (while already changed) to getting on their first machine. For most people they cite that a lack of time is one of the biggest reasons why they are not consistent with their programme.
What is really a waste of time?
The doctors report in the above article cites that of course anything is better than nothing but swimming was significantly worse for most people compared to walking, dance classes or jogging. My favourite statement on this subject is that the worst case scenario is being at home eating on the sofa. So any activity is better than this in comparison. The reality is that it isn’t just swimming that can be less effective than walking. Last year my client did the equivalent of just 20 minutes walking in an hour of double’s tennis.
So What Should I Do?
There are three elements in regards to this subject. If fat loss is your main goal then you may as well start with food. Any movement routine can be out eaten if you try hard enough. So you need to be sure you have a handle on this. If food is in place then it comes down to your total movement. This can be summed up through counting steps at its most simple level. The final element for consideration is if your focus is health and feeling good. IF so then the benefits are more related to intensity than duration per se. If you reach a adequate threshold so you breathe more heavily then you will begin to extract some of the massive benefits from exercise and movement. It will positively impacts almost every area of your life from confidence and mood to blood sugar and sleep. The above article cited how swimming rarely reached this level for most normal people because of their poor swim technique.
So what you should do is some form of activity where the body work a little harder. This can be walking up a hill to a slow jog. It may be cycling or rowing in the gym. Walking is by far the most accessible and any exercise routine should be supplemented with it.
It should be remembered though that for fat loss food intake is the primary physical influence (mental and motivational influence supersede even physical ones). Sometimes the activity may not vigorous at all but can results in you eating less food, e.g. yoga. This makes it a very good investment of your time. If on the other hand the exercise provides little physical stimulus yet you end up thinking “I did xx minutes of exercise so I can eat whatever” then doing the exercise is indeed a waste of time.
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