Water Aerobic Exercise

Get in the water - find an easy way to improve health

Water aerobic exercise could be the answer for you - it is easy and does not strain the joints. It shows that you don't need to pound the streets or do complicated dance routines to burn calories and improve the health of you heart and arteries.

Instead, try water aerobic exercise, which is not the same as swimming. Swimming IS excellent aerobic exercise, but requires skill and dedication. Water aerobic exercise is done in water either to your waist or your chest, and starts off with just striding through the water briskly - not as easy as it sounds.

Water aerobic exercise is good exercise because the water presents a lot of resistance to your movement - remember trying to run through the waves on a beach to get into deeper water? So, just walking through water is good exercise.

Water supports a lot of your weight

The second reason that water aerobics is good is that when standing in water, the water actually supports a lot of your weight. Did you know that if you stand in the water up to your waist, the water supports 40-50 per cent of your weight?

If the water comes up to your chest, the water supports 80-90 per cent of your weight. This means that your joints don't have to do much work, and even if you have knee problems you may find water aerobic exercise helpful - but do consult your physician first.

water aerobics can be simple walking - lunging really as you launch yourself forward on each step while moving the arms through the water at the same time.

Or, you can join a class, where you will do more complex movements resembling a slow aerobic dance. These classes, taken by an instructor, usually last about 45 minutes.

Do it in warm water

A word of warning: don't do water aerobics in cold water! It's not fun, and you will soon give up. Ideally, the water should be over 80 deg F (26 deg C), and nor more than about 90 deg F (32 deg C). So if you live outside the tropics you won't be able to do these exercises in the sea often. However. because the sea contains salt, it gives even more buoyancy than fresh water, making it easier on your joints, and provides more resistance, so if the sea is warm enough it is a good place to start. It is nicer being in the sea than in a pool, too.

Finally, one of the good things about water aerobic exercise is that because most of your body is under water you will not feel embarrassed if you are a touch overweight.

Are there any disadvantages?

Yes, the main one is that you have to use a pool which increases the cost. If you are already a member of a leisure club or gym that has a pool, well you are set up already. For the rest of us, it is a case of finding if there are any classes locally - entry to the pool may be cheaper if you do join a class - or finding the best combination of cost and quality at a pool.

Water aerobic aids

You do not need much to start water aerobic exercise - a swimming costume, a big towel and maybe goggles will get you started. Goggles are not really needed to start with. The other aids are intended to increase resistance. These are things like foam rings to wear round your wrists, foam barbells, and flotation belts. These are all inexpensive, and are needed only when you have improved your strength and stamina without them.

Do not forget that although water aerobic exercise can be fun, you need to do it regularly to strengthen your heart and other muscles - this way you will enjoy life more, and become healthier and fitter, and will burn up some of those excess calories. Another important point: if you want to lose weight, you will find that exercise alone does not - you need to improve your diet as well. But why not start by trying water aerobic exercise?

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