Question:
If cardio raises your metabolism because of the heat you're generating...

...does swimming after cardio cool your body down, thus slowing down the metabolism you just worked so hard to raise? I've been shying away from swimming after my hour and a half workouts because of this? I guess this may be a good question for an exercise physiologist - anyone know one to ask?    — sweetmana (posted on October 23, 2003)

October 23, 2003
That is a really interesting way of looking @ cardio. You do burn some of the calories in cardio due to an increase in core temperature, but it is mainly the effort expended in expanding/contracting muscles, moving mass, increased heart rate, etc. If swimming "cooled down" the thermogenic process, it would be useless as a cardio activity, based on this logic, right? So no water aerobics, right? :) Anyway, what I'm basically getting at is swimming will not have a negative impact on your metabolic rate. If you feel that the heat factor is what causes you to rev up, it will have a positive effect as your body will have to heat up to maintain it's temperature if the water is cooler. Ta da! Hehe
   — Rachael B.

October 23, 2003
Cardio raises your heart rate which means your body is working harder and ultimately burning some energy. The metabolism will be more efficient after cardio but doesn't do as much to keep it there. Weight training will build muscle and keep your metabolism up so that all day long your body is becoming an efficient fat burner. Don't get me wrong cardio is very important but should be combined with weight training for the best possible effect. Don't worry about your body being cooled durng swimming. If that's what you enjoy then that's what you should do. It's most important to find something you like so you can stick with it. Swimming will provide awesome toning as well as weight loss. For me though I do not find it does nearly as much for weight loss but toning it's hard to be bear. Then again I took a deep water aerobics class the other night and it was quite a workout!
   — zoedogcbr

October 23, 2003
ORIGINAL POSTER HERE. I am fully aware of the benefits of both cardio and strength-training, AND do them both. My question was not about how each one of these work to increase muscle mass or raise the metabolism, but was actually generated after reading several reports on HOW both cardio and strength-training affect the body physiologically long term (i.e. both raise the metabolism for several hours <b>after</b> your workout), feeling this "raised metabolism" effect myself after workouts, and then taking a swim (not as a cardio exercise, mind you, just as a way to relax and cool down after a hard workout) and realizing how VERY COOL my body was getting while in the water. I theorized that immersing my body into water that was cooler than my body temp would actually <b>lower</b> my body temp, thus negating the increased metabolism effect I had just worked so hard to produce. <b>This</b> is actually the crux of my question...
   — sweetmana

October 23, 2003
Well... If you go into cold water your metabolisium actually raises (until hypothermia sets in)in order to heat you up. That's why we shiver when cold.
   — Robert L.

October 25, 2003
I'm with Robert on this one. Your body has to work to maintain an acceptable temperature - whether you are hot or cold. I'm no scientist but I can't see why swimming after your cardio would slow it down.
   — Pambylah