You don’t have to be a pro swimmer to get fit while making a splash. Water fitness, or water aerobics, is a great fitness option for people of all ages and skill levels. Take a dip in the pool for a refreshing change from pounding the pavement.
By Laura Childers
Full PDF here.
What is water aerobics?
Water aerobics is a series of exercises performed in a shallow pool or in deep water with the aid of a buoyancy belt. Exercises are generally performed vertically and mimic many moves you’d do on land (running, jumping jacks, kickboxing, circuit training, etc.) with the added resistance of the water.
What’s so cool about it?
Low-impact: Water supports up to 50% of your weight when you’re immersed to the waist, eliminating risk of injury-inducing pounding or jarring on your muscles and joints. This makes water aerobics a great choice for those with arthritis, back problems, foot or leg injuries, and knee conditions.
Flexibility-building: The water’s buoyancy allows you to move your limbs farther and explore totally new movement with less pain. Without the added weight of gravity, you can increase your range of motion without putting too much stress on your joints.
High-resistance: Continuous resistance from the water (water has around 12-14 times the resistance of air ) forces you to engage more muscle fibers, so you’ll tone up all over. Essentially, you’re getting a whole-body strength-training activity—without the weights!
