Splash Into Shape With Water Workouts

Jet, July 31, 2000

If you want to beat the heat and feel the burn of a good exercise session, then take the splash this summer with a water workout.

"Water fitness used to be an activity that had the image of having little old ladies in shower caps in the water," said John Spannuth, president and CEO of the United States Water Fitness Association in Boynton Beach, FL, a nonprofit educational organization. "That has changed dramatically to all kinds of people being involved with water."

Exercising in water has several advantages over dry-land workouts. The weightless effect you experience in water gives your body greater flexibility than it normally has on land. Because your weight in water is a tenth of what it would be on land, your range of motion is much easier, experts say.

Another bonus of water is that it gives you 12 times more resistance when you move than air does. That resistance gives your muscles a workout similar to what occurs when you train with weights, but without the added stress to muscles and joints. There also is a low incidence of high-impact injuries when you workout in water.

Swimming probably is the most popular water-fitness activity since it offers the benefit of stretching, aerobic conditioning, strength conditioning and flexibility with less stress to joints and lower risk of injury. But even if you can't swim, there are plenty of other things you can do in the pool to shape up.

Water aerobics, aquatic kick-boxing, water walking and deep-water running, even tai chi and yoga are just some of the popular pool pastimes many health clubs and aquatic centers now offer. There are also tailored exercise programs for people with arthritis and joint problems, pregnant women and people with disabilities and injuries.

"Water is easier on the body, so people who might not be able to move as easily on land can move more efficiently in the water," said Anne Grimes, director of Wellness Services for Valley Medical Center in Renton, WA.

For those with weight problems, water helps the body naturally rid itself of excess water and salt, experts say. As physical therapy, it gradually and gently rehabilitates and relaxes muscles and joints that have stiffened or atrophied from disuse.

For pregnant women, water exercise strengthens and tones the muscles used during childbirth. For the elderly, water fitness is a safe, low-impact way to fill the need for exercise.

"Plus, there's a tremendous comfort zone in the water," said Pat Cook, aquatic program supervisor for the Fairfax County (VA) Park Authority, to Carol Krucoff of the Washington Post. "In a land-based aerobics class, there's a lot of pressure to keep up, but you can hide in the water and just do as much as you're able to without anyone knowing."