Water Exercises For Getting In Shape

Water exercises are very useful in getting rid of the excess fat and staying fit and healthy. They encompass all the components of fitness - cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, endurance and flexibility. These exercises are the best way to tone up muscles and give your body the perfect shape. They also help in reducing body fat, if done regularly. Water exercises come with several benefits for the follower. They help in developing resistance, balance and flexibility in a person. These exercises are also very useful for those people who find certain movements, like running, stepping, kicking, leaping and dancing, too jarring or painful on land. They can also be a part of the perfect strength-training workout. There are many regimes and types of water exercises that can help you stay flexible, fit and in good shape. Read on to explore water exercises for getting in shape.

It is similar to the aerobics done on land. Water aerobics involve exercising in water no deeper than chest high. While this adds resistance to the workout, it also allows you to keep your balance on the floor of the pool. There are many water aerobic classes that you can join to learn water aerobics and stay fit and healthy.

Treading Water

Treading water is an excellent form of aerobic exercise. The goal of this exercise should be to tread water for a length of around 20 minutes. This exercise will not only help increase your heart rate to your aerobic target zone, but also strengthen your upper and lower body muscles.

 

This exercise can be well executed, if you have access to a pool with lanes. You will have to submerge yourself in water, around waist-deep and walk rapidly through it, to achieve your aerobic target heart rate. This exercise will help you strengthen your lower extremities of the muscle, as you would be walking against the resistance of water. The deeper the water you walk in, the higher will be the resistance.

Water Jogging

This exercise is very useful in strengthening the muscles of your lower body, in a low impact manner. To water jog, you will have to put on a floating device and move into the water. You will be running in the water, without your feet touching the bottom of the pool. It is advisable to do 5 minutes warm up, by water treading, before starting with water jogging. Work up to 20-30 minutes of water jogging, to get maximum cardiovascular benefit.

 

For this exercise, stand in the water, with your feet apart and arms extended straight in front, holding a ball. Breathe slowly, rhythmically push the ball under water and swing it into the figure of eight pattern, through the water. Try maintaining a sturdy balance and repeat 10 times, to feel the varying resistance on your arms and upper body. If you are suffering from a shoulder injury, it is advisable not to practice this exercise.