Is This Workout Missing From Your Fitness Routine?

If you don't like to exercise, try this!

Exercise and fitness go hand-in-hand. But for some people, the word "exercise" produces a groan. They imagine themselves in a gym, working out for hours on end, pushing their bodies to the extreme and getting all sweaty in the process. Depending on what you are trying to achieve, that may be the way to go.

There is another exercise that reaps all the benefits of going to the gym, yet is relaxing, soothing to the mind and body, and enjoyable. That exercise is swimming and water aerobics. The health and fitness benefits of swimming rivals those of jogging, weight training, running, resistance training and aerobics.

Almost everyone, including pregnant women, seniors, people with injuries, leg and lower back problems, and with assistance, people with physical disabilities, can do it. Many athletes include swimming in their regular workout routine. It can be done alone, with your partner, in groups, with swim teams, and in competitions. Even non-swimmers can gain the benefits of doing aerobics in the water. They can do all their exercises at the shallow end of the pool.

Swimming works on the conditioning of your whole body at once. It builds endurance, increases muscle strength, improves flexibility, works on your heart and lungs (cardiovascular system), and burns calories.

There are also training aids that can be used if your pool allows them. Kick boards support your upper body, while allowing you to exercise your calves, thighs, buttocks and abdomen. Pull buoys placed between your legs make your upper body do all the work. If your pool does not allow them, they can still be used at the beach or in your backyard pool.

You don't have to swim as if you're training for the Olympics to gain the benefits of using the water for your exercise. You can do water aerobics, as a resistance exercise. The resistance to movement in water is 12 times greater than through air, so the benefit of water aerobics is greatly enhanced. This increased resistance to movement means that your water aerobics exercise will be 12 times more effective than your land-based aerobics.

The fact that your body in water only weighs 1/10 of its normal weight on land makes it the ideal low impact workout, thereby minimizing the risk of injury. Your weight-bearing joints will welcome the relief they feel, and your range of motion will be easier to achieve.

If done regularly in water, running in place, arms out body twists, leg raises, treading water, dog paddling, and even walking in chest deep water will provide health benefits to your body that you could not imagine.

One of the things that parents can do, to ensure that their young children are getting the exercise they need to stay fit, is to encourage them to join a sports team. An often-overlooked sports team is the swim club. Members of swim clubs or teams not only compete against other teams, they also compete against themselves. As they progress, they get a great sense of accomplishment as they improve their personal best times. Swim teams foster sportsmanship, competition, and goal setting while at the same time, providing the workouts and exercise they need to stay healthy, fit and trim.

So plan now to include swimming and water aerobics in your regular fitness workout. Get your relatives, neighbors and friends to join you and make it a social workout. Have your children join a swim team, and then give them your encouragement and support.