Water exercises can benefit seniors who suffer from arthritis, diabetes, menopause or back problems, according to the Aquatic Exercise Association. Water exercises can improve balance, coordination, flexibility and range of motion. They also provide resistance that strengthens your muscles--all without the risk of falling posed by working out on dry land.
Water Shoes
You can do water exercises in waist to chest-deep water, or venture into the deep end if you are feeling brave, or need the extra room to perform aquatic therapy. By wearing fast-draining water shoes you can maintain traction anytime your feet touch the bottom of the pool, and when you're getting into and out of the pool.
Water Weights
Water weights are dumbbells made of buoyant materials. They provide resistance as you move them through the water, instead of simply sinking to the bottom as regular weights would. Water weights help build grip strength, too; holding onto them can be a challenge if you have weak hands. The more floats a water weight has on it--usually positioned to either side of the handle, just like weight plates on a regular dumbbell--the more resistance it offers.
Hand Webs
Hand webs are mitts that turn each of your hands into a single webbed paw, offering extra resistance as they move through the water. Although hand webs don’t offer as much resistance as water weights do, they have the added benefit of staying on your hand. So even if you can’t hold onto a water weight, you can still enjoy the extra resistance hand webs provide.
Water Noodles
Long, thin, cylindrical water noodles provide extra flotation and are flexible enough to be positioned in a variety of ways: tied onto your ankles as an ankle weight, draped under your arms or held between your legs to keep you upright in the water.
Float Vests
Float vests can help keep you upright in deep water, eliminating any worry about having to stay afloat as you do your workout. Although you can reap the benefits of water aerobics from the shallow end or the middle of the pool, you may find that working out in the deep end is more worthwhile as you develop greater strength and fitness.
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