Summer is an ideal time to try a new approach to exercise and bring your workout to the water. You’ll enjoy all the benefits of exercising on land—aerobic fitness, muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility—without the stress and strain on your body.

Why Water?

Water exercise offers many benefits that land workouts can’t. Water is 1,000 times denser than air and provides 12 times more resistance, so your muscles are strengthened by working harder. Because water cancels out 90 percent of your body weight (when submerged to your neck), there is significant stress reduction on your joints, bones, and muscles, which helps prevent injuries. This effect of decreased gravity also allows you to move more easily. You may find that you’re able to do stretching exercises in the pool that you can’t do on land, for example.

Water workouts are especially beneficial for people with arthritis, those who are overweight or obese, those who are just beginning an exercise program, and anyone recovering from an injury or surgery (with your doctor’s permission, of course). Talk with your healthcare provider first if you’re over 40, pregnant, or have a chronic health condition.

Be Safe

Instead of trying to design your own workout, consider signing up for a class. You’ll learn the right ways to do water exercises and have your questions answered by a certified instructor.

Always warm up before exercising. Start with easy movements in the water. Flex and extend all the joints for two to three minutes. Then try a few of these moves.

• Cardio workout: Walk across the pool in chest-high water four times, taking large strides. Then hold on to the side of the pool and do flutter kicks for 30 seconds. Repeat eight times from the beginning.
• Leg lifts: Stand in shoulder-deep water, facing the pool wall and holding on to the edge lightly for balance. Extend your right leg to the side as far as you can, keeping your hips straight and toes pointing toward the pool wall. Repeat 8 to 10 times for each leg.
• Lateral raises: Stand in shoulder-deep water with arms hanging at your sides. Slowly raise both arms straight out to the sides, up to the water level. Pause and repeat 8 times.
• Try squats, jogging, jumping jacks, running in place, or just doing laps to add variety to your water workout.

Whether you’re on vacation at a hotel pool or in your own backyard, it's easy to stay fit while having summertime fun.