What Is Aqua Aerobics?

For those who love swimming, the pleasure and relief it affords can never be paralleled. Everyone loves a good dip and after a tired day, this is the most effective stress buster. It is as if the water dissolves the tiredness away. You must have noticed how the body gets light in the water, giving the impression of either flying or floating. No wonder, swimming is considered as one of the best exercises. This takes us to aqua aerobics (also known as water aerobics), which uses the resistance of the water to give a very effective workout. You don’t require any special equipment other than a shallow pool and you style the movements in such a way that you work against the water resistance. Also, since the water supports most of your body weight, the risk of injury is minimal and the stress on the body is also less. Not to mention the fun involved in such a workout. Read the article given below to learn more on aqua aerobics.

Water Aerobics Exercises

Advantages

When you do aqua aerobics, you support only 50% of your body weight.
Aqua aerobics are low impact exercises and so the risk of injury is very low.
There is also less stress on the joints.
Develops the muscle tone and endurance because of the water resistance.
It is a very good exercise for people who are recovering from an injury, pregnant women, and those undergoing rehabilitation exercise therapy.
It also has enormous benefits on people suffering from arthritis.
Maintains the normal heart rate.
Aqua aerobics are very refreshing.
Helps in burning a lot of calories.
It reduces the stress and increases the energy levels.
They are very easy to perform.
There is no requirement of special exercises.
The water massages the entire body.

Requirements

Choosing Swim Wear

Consider the type of swimwear you would like to put on.
Do not wear bikinis or low cut bathers as they tend to get pulled by the water.
Women can wear action-backed bathers, which are very appropriate for this exercise. For men they should go for speedos and shorts.
The swimwear should sit firmly on the torso and it should not be loose on the hips.

Footwear

Aqua exercise can be done in bare feet. However, it is very risky as the bottom of the pool is often slippery and there are chances of you falling down.
Appropriate shoes are required to get a grip on the pool floor, which is very necessary to stabilize the body.
You can also wear slip socks that have rubber soles to prevent slipping.
The best shoes are perhaps the surfer shoes.

Depth Of Water

Ideally, the water should be till the chest depth.
People, who are uncomfortable in exercising in water, should start in a depth that is between the chest and the waist.
The water depth that is between the chest and waist should be the ideal depth. At this depth, it is easier to perform the movements at the right speed.
For a chest depth, it is often required to wear a buoyancy belt. The exercises are also adapted to suit this depth.
Keeping the water level below the waist increases the stress on the joints and lower back. There is also risk of impact with the pool bottom.

How Often

Aqua aerobics can be done daily and at any time.
Each session is generally of about 45 minutes.

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