Water aerobics exercises for seniors do not cause as much impact on your body as land-based exercises. Water's natural buoyancy, resistance, cooling effect and decreased joint impact make it an ideal exercise medium for seniors. Health ailments such as diabetes, arthritis, menopause, cardiovascular problems, back problems and osteoporosis can benefit from water aerobics, says the Aquatic Exercise Association. Proper form is as important as taking the time to do exercises, says the President's Council on Fitness.
Pool Walking
You can get beneficial aerobic exercise by doing pool walking. Get into chest-deep water. Walk the pool's perimeter. You can hold onto the pool's side to balance yourself, if needed. Make certain that your feet are touching the bottom of the pool to lessen your chances of any potential injury. You may want to wear aqua-exercise shoes so that you lessen your chances of slipping or scraping your feet, says Dummies.com. Adding some hand weights, hand floats or weighted boots to your routine will help you burn even more calories, says Spine-health.com. Another way for you to increase your calorie burning is by walking faster and turning your exercise into a power walk. You can also walk around the pool backwards to work different muscles.
Lower Body Exercise
You can do some leg swings as part of your water aerobics. Stand in chest-deep water with your left side against the pool's wall. Place your left hand on the pool's side for balance. Your knees will be straight. Slowly lift your right leg forward and hold for five seconds. Swing your leg backwards. Do this swinging motion five times. Rest for a few seconds before repeating this exercise with your left leg.
Cross Country Skiing
Doing a water aerobics exercise that imitates skiing will give you an all-body workout. Get into shoulder-waist level water. Move your arms and legs back and forth as if you were actually doing cross-country skiing, suggests Exercisegoals.com. Bend your arms at the elbow so that your lower arm is parallel to the pool's bottom. Move your right arm forward at the same time you move your left leg forward. Move your left arm forward as your right leg moves forward. This movement is similar to walking. Make certain your feet touch the pool's bottom. You may want to wear aqua boots to keep your feet from scraping. Do this skiing exercise one minute to begin with. Relax for a few minutes. Repeat this exercise two times. Gradually increase your time as you progress.
Upper Body Exercise
Stand up in neck-deep water. Raise both of your arms in front of you, keeping them in the water. Make certain your elbows are straight. Start making small circles with your arms and gradually increase the circle's size. Make five clockwise circles, then five counterclockwise circles. Return your arms to the original position. Rest for a few seconds. Repeat this exercise five times. Do not raise your hands out of the water while doing this exercise.
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