The Square Life

This summer, don’t just sit by the pool: take a dip and get in a workout. During cooler months, jumping jacks and running may suffice, but on bright, hot summer days, the routine can continue—in the refreshing coolness of your neighborhood pool. In order to catch some rays while working your heart and muscles, try these swimming alternatives.

AQUA-JOGGING Self-descriptive, this exercise is treading water, but in a running motion. It incorporates a rotation of arms and legs while remaining upright, with shoulders just above the water. “It keeps you in the right plane of motion,” says Jared Wehrli, physical therapist for University Healthcare. “And you can create more of a drag, making it more of a workout.” Although this is an oft-prescribed workout for injured runners, even Olympic greats have used deep-water aqua-jogging to help maintain their endurance levels. But you can use it simply as a unique means of cross-training. The buoyancy factor also gives joints a needed break. While some aqua-joggers use belts for balance, others keep good form on their own or put a hand on the side of the pool. The workout can be done on turbo speed, in spurts, or slow and steady. To keep this one interesting, put on some music or do it with a friend. “It’s a great activity for someone who wants to be active but has an injury,” Wehrli says. “It unloads joints and doesn’t compress them.”

TREADING WATER Treading water involves kicking arms and legs in all directions. This exercise is the body’s most efficient means of staying afloat. Because this move is the path of least resistance, it is recommended to those who are seeking a less-intense workout. And hey, you can even hold a brick over your head while treading water to train for lifeguarding.

WATER AEROBICS Images of senior-citizen ladies in skirted swimsuits bouncing in the shallow end of the local pool may come to mind when you think of water aerobics, but the tide is changing on this water fitness routine. Wehrli says young people could benefit from the buoyancy and muscle-elongating benefits of this low-impact exercise. “I have seen water aerobics grow in popularity, but I think the younger crowd can benefit as much as the older crowd—especially in preventing injuries and delaying arthritis.”
So get together your friends and do your own workout—instead surrounded by some H2O and perhaps some water weights. This will give you a “refreshing” new fitness routine. After all, as Wehrli says, “They provide a change of pace, rest, and recovery while still maintaining your level of workout for the heart.”