Make a Splash! Get Fit With Water Exercises

By Jasmine Clark, Live Well Enhance You Contributing Writer

Exercise has many, many health benefits, but sometimes you still may not feel like doing it. Maybe you need to change things up! This hot time of year is the best for getting wet and doing your workouts in the water. Even if you’re not very physically active or you don’t feel confident in your abilities, give it a try anyway. Take a look at these options for water exercises you can do.

Swimming

Swimming is one of the most popular types of exercises out there because not only is it fun, it gives you a thorough head-to-toe workout. No matter which type of stroke you like to swim, water provides resistance (12x the resistance of air!) that increases your body’s endurance and tones your muscles. Swimming is ideal for you if you have an injury, joint pain, or if you’re pregnant, because the water goes easy on your joints. In addition, swimming reduces stress and improves your mental health.

If you’ve never learned how to swim, or you learned a long time ago and your skills are rusty, don’t worry. You’ll have to spend some time practicing and learning the basics, and it might be tricky at first, but you’ll get the hang of it. This video is perfect for swimming beginners because it demonstrates simple movements that help you get used to being in the water, then it shows you how to get started with swimming.

Pool exercises

As great as swimming is, there are reasons you’d prefer not to do it. Maybe it’s just not your thing, or maybe there are too many other people in the pool to give you enough room to swim. You can do non-swimming pool exercises and still get amazing health benefits because you'll be getting that same water resistance that makes your muscles strong. Exercising in the pool strengthens your cardiovascular system as well, getting your heart pumping faster.

You don’t need any special equipment to do pool exercises. As this article demonstrates, there are simple exercises you can do in the pool that are similar to what you’d do on dry land. But being in the water makes those exercises more effective, which means you’re getting better results in the same amount of time.

If you want to use a kickboard, there are additional types of aquatic exercises you can do. There are also other items you can try bringing to your pool workout, like foam dumbbells or a buoyancy belt. However, it’s still possible to get an excellent workout without any equipment, so this is all optional. If you’re new to pool exercising, you can get your feet wet (pun intended) by seeing what you can do without any equipment, and then buy equipment when you feel you need it.

Surfing and bodyboarding

Summer just isn’t complete without going to the beach, right? While you’re there, if you’re already comfortable swimming, you can give surfing or bodyboarding a try. These activities increase strength and muscle tone throughout your body, and they also develop your coordination and dynamic balance skills. Dynamic balance is the skill of keeping your balance on a moving base of support (instead of static balance, which is balancing while staying still), and it’s useful in everyday life.

Do a little research to see if there are any bodyboarding or surfing classes you can sign up for. Bodyboarding, which is also called boogie boarding, is a good place to start if you don’t feel ready for surfing yet. And of course, there’s always YouTube. Watching YouTube videos of surfing or bodyboarding before your class will give you extra knowledge so you’ll do better when being taught by your instructor. Check out these intro to bodyboarding and intro to surfing videos.

Exercising in the water is an awesome stress reliever and a really effective way to strengthen your body. You’ll get fantastic physical health benefits, and you’ll feel more confident in your body, too. So grab your sunscreen and head to the pool, lake or beach for some fun. Remember to stay safe (don’t swim alone), stay hydrated, and talk to your doctor beforehand if you have any concerns. Now get out there and make a splash!

Jasmine Clark is a freelance writer from North Carolina. She enjoys writing about topics such as stress relief and positive thinking. She likes to encourage others to find ways to calm down and relax. In her spare time, she loves to write fiction stories and watch TV and YouTube. You can find her on Instagram @cozysachi.