Not Naturally Healthy

The pool’s a great way to relax, a great place to hang out in the summertime if the beaches aren’t your thing and definitely a good way to get into shape. Swimming’s a good way to lose weight, almost better than running or jogging in fact.

Of course, for some people, swimming back and forth and back and forth isn’t all that appealing or interesting. Luckily, there are different kinds of pool exercises to help you get fitter while staying cool in the pool. It’s also a good place to make sure that you do the exercises safely as the water carries some of the weight with you.

The Water March

Here’s a neat and simple example of the many pool exercises that anyone could do. It’s pretty simple to do – you start with a normal straight and standing position in the water. Breathe evenly and deeply. Now, as the name suggests, do the water march by, well, marching in position.

Unlike the standard marching in place motion, here you extend your limbs as far as you can to maximize the resistance that the water offers. Two minutes is a got target time, but as with real exercise, you should focus on great form rather than speed, although both is good. If you can do it for five minutes, then you’re doing pretty good.

Always push yourself – once you get complacent, you’re only maintaining, not improving.

Hippity Hop

Jumping jacks are difficult on land – doing them with water resisting you just makes them all the more effective. Pool exercises use the water to add resistance and that’s definitely felt if you try jumping jacks in the pool.

In fact, you’re actually less than the traditional definition of fit, you shouldn’t expect too much. Just do jumping jacks in the water the way you’d do them on land and you’re on the way. Ten repetitions should work a beginner pretty well – three sets in fact would be perfect.

Good Medicine For You

Even medicine balls fine their home in many pool exercises. This particular exercise targets your arms. Just stand with your feet apart, balancing your weight evenly between them. Now, just hold out that good old medicine ball and while keeping your arms straight, start swinging it in a figure eight or infinity motion. Ten repetitions will do wonders – it, like many exercises and pool exercises, only looks easy. It’s actually pretty difficult.

Get Out of the Pool

Pool exercises can make a visit to the pool both entertaining and healthy. A word of caution though – when people go to the gym, they start with the lowest weights and work their way up. It’s the same with pool exercises. You can’t just leap into the deep end and expect to be awesome with it.

The same rules with land exercise apply to water exercise as well. Warmups and stretching are still a must to make sure that you don’t injure yourself while making yourself healthier. And if these bore you, don’t forget that you could always swim in the pool to get the exercise you need.