Patient-Friendly Explanation

Swimming works the whole body and burns roughly 400 to 700 calories an hour at a steady pace, similar to jogging but without loading your knees and hips. Because the water supports your weight, it suits people with joint pain, back pain or a very high body weight. Sessions need to be long enough and regular, and you still need to manage your diet to lose weight.

Clinical Definition

Swimming is a non-weight-bearing aerobic modality with an energy cost of approximately 6 to 10 METs depending on stroke and pace, and it improves cardiorespiratory fitness, blood pressure and glycaemic control comparably to land-based training. Water immersion reduces joint compressive load and perceived exertion, improving adherence in osteoarthritis and at BMI above 40. Post-swim compensatory energy intake is debated, so total diet quality still determines whether an energy deficit exists.

Why It Matters

Water-based programmes are among the few options open to patients whose joint pain rules out walking, and Singapore’s year-round public pools make them practical. Beginners should build to 30 to 45 minutes at moderate effort three to four times weekly, because short laps produce very little energy deficit.