A water aerobics routine provides natural resistance and support for your body. This type of exercise is particularly beneficial if you have joint, muscle or bone pain. The water eliminates any jarring or impact you might experience performing other types of aerobic exercises, such as running or jumping rope. Always consult your doctor before beginning any type of exercise regimen.
Benefits
The pool is a safe environment to perform aerobics and saves your joints from jarring. The water provides a natural resistance to your movements, which engages a variety of muscle groups without placing too much stress on them. Since the water supports your body weight, you can easily work on improving your flexibility. Less gravity means less stress on joints, which enables you to move your limbs at a wider range of motion. Water keeps your body cool while exercising, decreasing the chance of becoming dizzy.
Equipment
You only need a few basic things for a water aerobics routine. In addition to a swimsuit, get a pair of aquatic shoes. The rubber on the soles of the shoes helps you grip the bottom of the pool. Good traction is required when performing exercises in the water. If your routine incorporates basic lap swimming, wear a pair of swimming goggles to help you see in the water and keep chlorine out of your eyes. Finally, swimming caps help protect your hair from pool water chemicals and keeps hair out of your face. They also help keep the pool clean.
Water Aerobics Routine Basics
Before starting a routine, warm up with some simple stretches in the water that you would have a difficult time doing on land. If you are a beginner, start slowly and only perform movements and exercises you feel comfortable with. As you become accustomed to moving around in the water, increase the intensity of your workout. To optimize your time in the pool, focus on constantly moving your body and staying engaged with an exercise. Aim to keep your heart rate in your target heart rate zone.
Routine Elements
Water walking is one water aerobics exercises you can incorporate into your routine. Wear webbed gloves -- called hand webs -- to increase the amount of water resistance your arms must contend with as you walk. Use hand webs or water dumbbells to perform arm curls. With your palms facing up, bring your arms to the water's surface, then turn the palms face down as you bring the arms down again. For arm rotations, another good water aerobics exercise, extend one arm straight to the side. Hold a kickboard -- a foam flotation device used to support a swimmer's upper body -- along that length of the arm and rotate the arm forward and in front of your chest. The kickboard adds resistance to the exercise.
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