Karen’s Free Health and Fitness Tips

Most of us think of aerobics in terms of walking, running, dancing and even swimming. And these are all great and we should all do them. One of the aerobic exercises that has taken hold is water aerobics. Not as popular because it has the limitation of requiring water, usually a swimming pool. But it is a very beneficial exercise if you have a pool or access to one.

The great thing about water aerobics is that you can exercise every part of your body. Depending on the exercise, the water should be from waist deep to chest level. You can actually do just about any exercise routine that you do out of water. There is a great advantage to water aerobics in that it is no, or very low impact. This is especially helpful to people that have injuries or for senior citizens that sometimes struggle with aches and pains.

If you live in a part of the country where it gets hot in summer then water aerobics is the thing to do. You not only get a good work out but the water keeps you cool. At the same time you can also have fun. One of our favorites is playing with a ball in the water. We can toss it back and forth. A game we really like is “take away” where a circle is formed and a person is placed it the middle. The ball is thrown over his head and he tries to take it away. It is great fun and gives you a real work out. We also like to play tag.

There are of course the traditional routines that you can do. Such as jumping, knee bends, arm resistance, kicking. They all feel good and without really feeling it, you are getting a good workout.

If you really want to get technical there is equipment you can buy on the internet. You can also get videos that demonstrate the various exercises for different parts of your body.

All in all water aerobics is really fun and you can do it as a group. Many gyms have scheduled water aerobic classes that are a lot of fun and you can also meet some nice people.

By: Al Villa

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