What does your mind conjure up when you hear the term "water exercise"? Is it a bunch of older women wearing skirted swim suits and flowered swim caps while bobbing around in the shallow end of the pool? How about a bunch of older men wearing speedos while swimming laps? If those are the types of images you're conjuring, it may be time for you to take a field trip to your local swimming pool to check out the water exercise options.
More: 4 Water Workouts to Try
Benefits
Water exercise has become a big business in recent years. With baby boomers hitting their 50s and 60s, and with a greater population of overweight and obese individuals than ever before, water exercise enables those who may find land-based exercise uncomfortable or painful to continue maintaining an active lifestyle. Consider just a few of the benefits of water-based exercise:
- Improved cardiovascular fitness.
- Improved muscular strength.
- Improved balance and coordination.
- Improved flexibility.
- Improved mental health.
- Ability to exercise without impact—this allows individuals with chronic pain or inflammation to exercise with minimal irritation.
- The buoyancy of the water enables individuals who are overweight or obese to take the stress off their bones and joints while exercising.
More: 18 Water Workouts to Splash Yourself Slim
Types
You can find an aquatic version of almost every land-based exercise out there. This means that whether you're a cycling chick, a boot camp guy, or a rock-climbing diva, there's an aquatic fitness opportunity that will match your exercise preferences. Granted, facilities do have to cater to their demographics, so if you're in a small town with an older population, you may have a hard time finding an Aqua Zumba class, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. Consider a few of the following aquatics classes offered in facilities around the country:
- Ai Chi (aquatic Tai Chi)
- Aqua Zumba
- Aqua Cycling
- Water Circuit
- Tsunami Bootcamp
- Water Weights
- Water Walking/Water Jogging
- Flipped Out (A class done while wearing flippers)
- Arthritis Class
Finding a Class
Call your local fitness center or community swimming pool and ask if they offer a variety of different water exercise classes. Most facilities will allow you to watch or try out a class for a day to see if it's the workout you were hoping for. Choose a class or two and check them out. And remember, you don't have to be an awesome swimmer to partake in water-based fitness. You just can't be afraid of getting wet.
More: The Benefits of Swimming for Exercise
Reach your goals in a fitness class. 