Warm weather can make working out unbearable. Nothing makes you want to abandon your fitness goals like a heatwave. If you’re looking to make some changes in the coming months, give water workouts a try. Incorporate the following exercises into your routine.
Swimming Laps
This might not be the most exciting form of exercise, but you can easily make it fun! Use your time to your advantage. Carve out some ‘you’ time by finding yourself a pair of waterproof headphones. Enjoy an audiobook, podcast or your favorite music while you swim laps. You can find waterproof headphones on Amazon for less than $20. (Check out this option here.) Channel your inner Michael Phelps and go for gold!
Water Aerobics
This is a great form of low impact exercise that can help you stay active during the summer months. Promita Mukherjee from Femina.com wrote an excellent article about the physical benefits of water aerobics. Some of the major pros about this form of exercise are building strength and endurance, increasing flexibility and reducing joint pressure. If these sound like benefits you would like to receive from your workout, give water aerobics a try.
Water Exercises
This can include many different things. Incorporate movements in the water that you would do outside of the pool. For example, try doing squats, pushups, and leg circles. You could also walk up and down the stairs in the pool. These body weight movements are made easier in the water, but still provide an excellent workout. One of the best things about aquatic exercise is the fact that it is so easy on your joints. If you frequently suffer from knee pain, low back pain, or other joint pain, hopping in a pool to workout might be a great solution for you.
Utilize Pool Toys
If you have pool toys handy, try using a pool noodle to hold your arms up while you run in place as fast as you can for 30-60 second intervals. Bring your knees up as high as possible while running. Also, if you’re interested in a workout that doesn’t feel like one, grab a ball and take turns throwing it across the pool. Race to the ball and try to grab it first. You will actually be doing sprints, but it’s something you can enjoy because you can turn it into a game! Another workout you can do using a beach ball is to use your body weight to try and repeatedly push the ball underwater. This will work your arms as well as your core but it will feel so much more fun than a traditional workout.
It is important to explore all your options when it comes to exercise. Keeping things interesting is the key to success. Aquatic workouts are an excellent way to maintain your fitness goals during the summer. Turn the seasonal heat into a positive and enjoy fun, new ways to exercise in the water.
