Swimming During Perimenopause: A Complete Practical Guide
Everything you need to know about swimming during perimenopause, from managing symptoms to building a sustainable pool routine.
Why Swimming Works So Well in Perimenopause
Swimming is one of the most body-friendly forms of exercise available during perimenopause, and for good reason. The water supports your joints, which means you can work hard without the impact stress that running or jumping places on your knees, hips, and spine. This matters a lot when oestrogen levels are declining, because lower oestrogen accelerates the loss of cartilage and makes joints more vulnerable to injury. Perimenopause also brings muscle soreness that feels disproportionate to effort, and the low-impact nature of swimming helps you stay consistent without constantly battling post-exercise aches. Beyond the physical mechanics, water has a genuine calming effect on the nervous system. Many women report that a swim session quiets the mental chatter that perimenopause anxiety tends to produce, and that the rhythm of laps creates a meditative focus that is hard to replicate on land.
Hot Flashes and Temperature Regulation in the Pool
Hot flashes are one of the most disruptive perimenopause symptoms, and swimming offers a practical advantage here. Pool water, typically between 26 and 29 degrees Celsius, helps keep your core temperature lower than it would be during land-based cardio. This does not mean hot flashes stop completely during a swim, but many women find they are less frequent and less intense in the water. The key is pool temperature. Outdoor pools in summer and some indoor leisure pools run warmer, which can actually trigger flushing rather than relieve it. If hot flashes are a significant concern, look for pools that maintain cooler temperatures and consider swimming in the morning when your core body temperature is naturally lower. Taking a cool shower before your session can also help reduce the initial rise in body heat as you begin exercising.
Building Bone Density: What Swimming Can and Cannot Do
One honest limitation of swimming as a primary exercise during perimenopause is that it does not build bone density. Bone responds to impact and resistance, and water removes both. If osteoporosis risk is a concern for you, and it is a legitimate concern given that oestrogen plays a major role in bone maintenance, swimming should be paired with weight-bearing activity such as walking, strength training, or even short bouts of jumping. That said, swimming builds the muscle mass that supports your skeleton and improves the balance and coordination that reduce fall risk. Many women find a combination approach works well: two or three swim sessions per week for cardiovascular fitness and joint recovery, with two shorter strength or walking sessions to preserve bone. This pairing gives you the benefits of both without overloading any single system.
Choosing the Right Stroke for Your Body
Not all strokes are equal when perimenopause symptoms are active. Freestyle (front crawl) is the most efficient stroke for cardiovascular fitness and places relatively low stress on the neck and lower back when your breathing rotation is sound. Backstroke is gentle and excellent if you experience shoulder tension or prefer not to rotate your head. Breaststroke is popular but can aggravate knee discomfort, which is already common during perimenopause, and puts strain on the lower back if your technique is not well established. Butterfly is demanding and best reserved for experienced swimmers. If you are returning to the pool after a long break, starting with freestyle or backstroke and adding variety as your confidence builds is a sensible approach. Many leisure centres offer adult swimming lessons or technique clinics that are worth attending if you have not swum regularly in years.
How Long and How Often to Swim
For perimenopause fitness benefits, consistency matters more than duration. Three sessions of 30 to 45 minutes per week is a realistic and effective target for most women. If you are starting from scratch, two sessions of 20 to 30 minutes is a perfectly sensible beginning. Trying to do too much too quickly in perimenopause often backfires, because fatigue recovery is slower and motivation drops sharply after a setback. Structuring each session with a gentle warm-up using easy laps, a main block of sustained or interval swimming, and a cool-down is more productive than simply swimming at one pace until you are tired. Rest days between sessions give your muscles time to adapt, which is especially important during the hormonal fluctuations of perimenopause when recovery can be unpredictable.
Practical Gear and Pool Logistics
Getting the logistics right makes it far easier to stick to a swimming routine. A well-fitting swimsuit that stays in place during laps removes one source of distraction. Goggles protect your eyes from chlorine and make it much easier to focus on technique and breathing. A silicone swim cap keeps hair out of your face and reduces chlorine exposure to colour-treated hair. If you experience urinary urgency, which is common in perimenopause as pelvic floor muscles weaken, using the bathroom before entering the pool and keeping your sessions to a manageable duration can reduce worry. A waterproof bag with a dry change of clothes, a protein-rich snack, and a water bottle waiting poolside means you can refuel immediately after your session, which supports muscle recovery. Some women also find that using a pull buoy between their legs allows upper body focus on days when their hips or knees need a rest.
Tracking Your Progress and Staying Motivated
One of the challenges with swimming is that progress can feel invisible. Unlike running, where you can see your pace improve, or strength training, where you can lift heavier, swimming gains are subtle unless you measure them deliberately. Counting laps, timing your sessions, or noting how many rest breaks you take between sets gives you concrete data to look back on. Logging your swim sessions alongside how you feel physically and emotionally creates a pattern over time. Apps like PeriPlan let you log workouts and track symptom patterns, so you can start to see connections between swim frequency and things like sleep quality, mood, and energy levels. Many women find this kind of tracking genuinely motivating because it makes the invisible work of perimenopause management visible. Setting a goal such as swimming continuously for 20 minutes without stopping, or completing a set number of laps in a set time, gives each session a clear purpose.
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