Aerobic Water Exercise - Is It For You?

Aerobic water exercise is a great way to improve cardiovascular fitness while minimizing impact-related injury as it puts less stress on your joints, bones, and muscles. The low-impact nature of the exercise comes from water’s unique buoyancy property, which supports your body as you perform your aerobic water exercise routine.

Much like traditional land-based aerobic workouts, aerobic water exercises comprise rhythmic routines performed with or without music, which become more complicated as levels advance. For example, a basic routine will teach you basic arm and leg movements that progress in frequency, intensity, duration, and intricacy as you move towards the advanced level.

Workouts are usually completed under an hour and, as in land-based workouts, include warm-up, stretching, and cool-down periods. Although classified as aerobic, which means the goal is cardiovascular fitness, aerobic water exercise also improves the following:

* strength;
* flexibility;
* balance; and
* muscular endurance.

Aerobic water exercise is for swimmers and non-swimmers alike. Most of the routines are done in waist-deep or chest-deep water, while those in deep water require flotation equipment such as a buoyancy belt.

High Weight Loss

Since water provides greater resistance than air, aerobic water exercise uses up more calories than its land-based counterpart, and you can burn anywhere from 450 to 700 calories per hour!

As you go deeper in the water, you get increasing density and, therefore, more resistance so you can lose more calories performing the same routine by simply varying depth.

One of the best things about aerobic water exercise is that it gives you quicker results than performing the same routine on land. Your muscle tone (as well as endurance and flexibility) will improve fast.

Low Stress

Many people find aerobic water exercise relaxing. The reason for this is that most of your body weight is supported while in the water. Consider the following:

* in waist-deep water – support is 50%; you carry only half your bodyweight
* in chest-deep water – support is 85%; you carry only 15%
* in neck-deep water – support is 90%; you carry only 10%

It is, therefore, not surprising that many Americans have turned to aerobic water exercise as a fun and high yield addition to their fitness routine. Isn’t it about time you did the same?