Swimming provides a great cardiovascular workout and is suitable for all due to the fact that it is non-load bearing with the water cushioning your joints as you swim. Breaststroke is the lowest intensity stroke and as such burns fewer calories - around 180 calories for a half hour session – but it’s a stroke that generally enables you to swim for longer and therefore burn more calories from a longer session.

Breaststrokeexpands the lungs, works the chest muscles and inner thigh, shoulders, triceps, legs and hamstrings - and some even swear it increases the size of your breasts! If you wish to swim other strokes to increase your calorie burn then half an hour of swimming burns the following: freestyle/front crawl – 300 calories; backstroke – 240 calories; and butterfly – 450 calories.

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