<span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://womenlove.health/health/fitness/five-exercises-females-should-avoid/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Exercising</a> in water is the perfect opportunity to get a full-body workout AND beat the heat this Summer. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">While we are generally encouraged to get hot and sweaty while working out, it turns out that cooling down can be just as effective - and exercising in water is one of the easiest ways to do so! </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><b>Who can benefit from exercising in water?</b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Whether your water workout skills sit at beginner or Emily-Seebohm levels, exercising in your water is a fun way to get fit quickly.</span> <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marek-Rejman/publication/339529013_Science_in_swimming_IV/links/5e579ee292851cefa1c802a7/Science-in-swimming-IV.pdf#page=176" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Studies</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> have found that exercising in your pool can burn an average of 400-600 calories in a one-hour workout, while also resulting in posterior burn - continuing to burn calories and increasing metabolism for up to 24-hours post-workout. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Add in the fact that you’re extremely well supported (think: zero gravity), and it becomes H2o- clear that exercising in water is a safe, low-impact workout which yields seriously high results.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">According to Mark Grevelding, US-based water fitness instructor and creator of </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Poolfit</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (a global-first fitness streaming service/app which delivers aquatic exercise on-demand), it’s widely accepted that water workouts have numerous health benefits. And the best bit is they extend to all age groups, demographics and fitness levels.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span> <iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/O1HWcrgu5PY" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <b>What are some of these benefits? </b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">So what are these benefits we speak of? Mark nominates the following five as his favourite reasons for exercising in your pool.</span> <ol> <li><strong>Reduced joint impact </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></li> </ol> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Exercising in the deep end is ideal for those looking for a zero-gravity/ zero-impact workout. “Buoyancy, the opposite of gravity, is an uplifting force that reduces or eliminates impact on feet, ankles, knees and hips,” says Mark. This reduced impact allows individuals to participate in more vigorous and athletic exercise programs. “Even joggers who may have given up pounding the pavement can run as hard and as fast as they like in deep water!” he adds.</span> <strong><img class="wp-image-130692 alignleft" src="https://womenlove.health/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Pool-Workout-1-300x225.jpeg" alt="Pool Workout" width="393" height="295" />2. Water’s resistance/muscle balance</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Exercising in water provides total-body resistance thanks to the viscosity of water. All movements are resisted in water and this means muscles on both sides of a joint are targeted. Improving muscular balance can reduce chronic pain and decrease the risk of injury. Simply put, the water itself is one of the best types of fitness equipment available. </span> <strong>3. Cross training/injury recovery</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">According to Mark: “Injury is one of the biggest challenges to maintaining regular exercise as we age.”</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">The trick? Don’t get frustrated - get in the water! Fitness buffs who jog, cycle or engage in other land fitness activities should explore water exercise for cross-training purposes. Exercising with all-out intensity in the joint-friendly environment of water can help break workout plateaus. </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>4. Weight loss <img class=" wp-image-130695 alignright" src="https://womenlove.health/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Pool-Workout-300x225.jpeg" alt="Pool Workout" width="431" height="323" /></strong></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Exercising with reduced impact in water helps to eliminate discomfort and pain during fitness activities - often a deterrent for people trying to participate in strenuous activities to try to lose weight. Exercising in water provides a cooling factor, which reduces sweating and the chance of overheating but it increases the likelihood of participating in activities which will help you lose weight. </span> <strong>5. Move better, feel better, live better</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Finally, one of the greatest benefits of exercising in water is the fact water affords you the ability to move your limbs more freely in multiple directions, improving your range of motion and the ability to perform daily activities more efficiently. “People who work out in water can exercise longer and with more intensity - improving muscular endurance and stamina, which helps them move better, feel better and live better,” says Mark.</span> <b>Apps-olutely no excuse for avoiding a water workout!</b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Poolfit is designed to guide you through a series of pool exercises so it's easier than ever to work up a sweat this summer, without actually having to, well, work up a sweat.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Poolfit’s has over 115 water workouts, led by Aquatic Exercise Association (AEA) instructors and they're geared to all fitness levels. All you need is access to a pool (find a friend’s or use your local indoor pool) and the Internet.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">You can choose if your workout is in deep or shallow water. If you're more </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">advanced in water workouts you can go for all different types including Kick Boxing, Tabata, HIIT, Circuit Training, High-Intensity Interval Training, Full Body Bootcamp and Deep Core Express, among others! </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">But if you want to improve your fitness with a lower intensity routine, you can choose a workout such as Water Walking, Arthritis Exercise, Yoga, Pilates, Light Cardio or Toning. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><strong>For more information on Poolfit you can <a href="https://poolfit.tv/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">visit here.</a></strong> <strong>For more from The Carousel on exercise, <a href="https://womenlove.health/health/fitness/five-exercises-females-should-avoid/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">visit here.</a></strong>
