Swimming without other exercise?

The "evidence" about which exercise is best to prevent osteoporosis is all over the board.As far as i know the only study done on Masters swimmers showed swimming alone did improve bone density.I know of no study saying weight lifting doesn't help bone density and no good study showing running to be better than lifting. I lift weights and spin primarily to swim faster.I hate running,but to those who don't,go for it. Swimming is my first love,but for ease of exercise I can use my Fit Ball and stationary bike while watching TV. To answer the original question,depending on your goal,swimming may be all you need. I think if a person does at least three of the four strokes, he/she can get very basic all-round conditioning. Or at least back stroke and front crawl, to balance out the muscles on both sides of the torso. In a foolish moment, I recently decided to accompany my beloved cycling up a 35km mountain pass road, into a headwind, not having been on a bike for four weeks. Yes, I hurt for a few days afterwards, but not nearly as much as I thought I would. (*** stroke kick is good cross training for cycling and vice-versa.) Whenever I read of a study comparing swimming to other forms of exercise, I always wonder what the researchers mean by "swimming". Serious training, fitness swimming, paddling around at slow speeds with one's head out of the water? They never seem to specify. Maybe they don't know there's a difference. Does anyone know if resistance training with stretch cords is considered as good for bone density as weights?

The "evidence" about which exercise is best to prevent osteoporosis is all over the board.As far as i know the only study done on Masters swimmers showed swimming alone did improve bone density.I know of no study saying weight lifting doesn't help bone density and no good study showing running to be better than lifting. I lift weights and spin primarily to swim faster.I hate running,but to those who don't,go for it. Swimming is my first love,but for ease of exercise I can use my Fit Ball and stationary bike while watching TV. To answer the original question,depending on your goal,swimming may be all you need. I think if a person does at least three of the four strokes, he/she can get very basic all-round conditioning. Or at least back stroke and front crawl, to balance out the muscles on both sides of the torso. In a foolish moment, I recently decided to accompany my beloved cycling up a 35km mountain pass road, into a headwind, not having been on a bike for four weeks. Yes, I hurt for a few days afterwards, but not nearly as much as I thought I would. (*** stroke kick is good cross training for cycling and vice-versa.) Whenever I read of a study comparing swimming to other forms of exercise, I always wonder what the researchers mean by "swimming". Serious training, fitness swimming, paddling around at slow speeds with one's head out of the water? They never seem to specify. Maybe they don't know there's a difference. Does anyone know if resistance training with stretch cords is considered as good for bone density as weights?