Easy Water Aerobic Exercises
Water aerobic exercises are a fun way to get a workout in the water. They can be done anywhere and don’t require any special equipment. Water aerobic exercises are also easy on your joints, making them ideal for people with arthritis or other joint problems.
Warm-Up
Warm-Up
It is important to warm up before doing any aerobic exercise. The following are a few stretches you can do:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and bend forward at the waist, keeping knees slightly bent. Place hands on thighs or in front of body as shown in Figure 1 below. Slowly lift one leg straight out behind you while keeping other knee bent (Figure 2). Hold for 10 seconds and then switch legs, raising opposite arm as well – this will stretch chest muscles on opposite sides of body (Figure 3). Repeat 5 times per side.*
Scissor Kicks
Scissor kicks are great for increasing your heart rate and getting your lungs working. You can do them on land or in the water, but they are a bit more challenging with resistance bands attached to your ankles while doing them on dry land. If you want to try this exercise with a band, here’s how:
- Attach a resistance band around each ankle (or just one if you’re adventurous).
- Stand up straight with feet hip-width apart and arms straight out in front of you at shoulder height with palms facing down.
- Push off from one foot as if jumping over an imaginary hurdle or
