Swimming

In water, buoyancy supports around 90% of your body weight – which makes swimming the most joint-friendly endurance exercise of all. At the same time, your arms, legs, core and breathing all work together, and the water's resistance turns every movement into light strength training.

The energy burned is considerable: according to the Compendium of Physical Activities, leisurely swimming comes in at about 6 METs, brisk lengths at 8 to 10 METs. A person weighing 70 kilograms burns around 200 kilocalories in half an hour of relaxed swimming. If you're not confident at front crawl or breaststroke, aqua jogging or aqua aerobics can achieve similar results – almost every indoor pool offers classes.

Especially for people with significant excess weight, water is often the place where exercise becomes enjoyable again: no aching knees, no jolts, and nobody can see how fast or slow you are. Breaststroke with your head above the water does, however, strain your neck; if you swim regularly, it's best to learn to put your face in the water between strokes.

For children, swimming is more than a sport: it can save lives. According to a 2022 forsa survey commissioned by the German Life Saving Association (DLRG), about one in five primary school children in Germany can't swim. The Seepferdchen (“seahorse”) beginner's badge is only the start – children are considered safe swimmers once they've earned the bronze badge (200 metres in no more than 15 minutes). Swimming lessons from around the age of five, plus regular trips to the pool with their parents, are the best preparation.

One more tip from research: cold water makes you hungry. If you end up at the snack kiosk ravenous after swimming, you'll quickly win back the calories you burned. That's why a planned snack – fruit, wholegrain bread, nuts – belongs in your swimming bag.