Swimming??

NewYearsBride7

Hi ladies,

I am fairly new to the Knot community, but have really enjoyed reading everyones posts, lots of great ideas!

I have a bit of a unique situation.  I have always been an active, athletic person and was an advid runner.  A little over a year ago I started developing bone spurs on my heels which are extremely painful.  By this point I am unable to wear shoes with backs for anything other than sitting, so my working out has become non-existant.  As a result I have gained about 15 lbs.  Well now with my wedding being about 6 months away, I really need a solution.  I was hoping to have surgery by now, but I'm still waiting on a consult for my surgery yet, so at this point it's too close to the wedding that I will be waiting till after the wedding to have proper recovery time.

So... Immediately, I thought I would start swimming, a great workout and something that doesn't require shoes.  I starting reading into it online and found many studies saying that swimming can you get fit, but is unproductive in weight loss.  In fact a few said people gain weight by swimming.

So after that long lead in...I was wondering if any has any experience with swimming for fitness and weight loss??

Thank you in advance!

cukimerrydoll

Swimming is some of the greatest cardio you can get.  But if you really want to lose weight too, I would supplement it with strength training.  The more muscle, the higher your metabolism.  So, it's also very helpful in weight loss, and you don't need your heels!

msange727

omg - i have heel spurs too (just like my mom, and her mom), and they can be terrible. mine aren't as bad as yours, because if i do a lot of calf stretching and wear the right shoes when i'm on my feet a lot, they're manageable. but i can't go barefoot like ever.

i agree with mery - swimming is a fantastic workout. you've seen swimmers' bodies - there's no way it isn't! but you should definitely supplement any swimming with resistance or weight work too, to tone your muscles and build strength.

good luck!

kmjarvey

Swimming is always my go-to when I'm injured or want another form of cross training. It works the whole body so I always feel a good sore after a pool workout. I don't think the kicking would hurt your heel but if it does for some reason, you could always use a pull bouy between your legs so there's so stress on your feel and you still get a get cardio workout!

FavoriteOne

You could look into water resistance or aerobics classes to add to your routine to shake things up.