Low-Impact Exercises to Try in Your Pool

If you’re on a fitness journey, no other single piece of exercise equipment can compare to using your pool! Every exercise you do in your pool is low impact, so it’s the best place to work out when protecting your joints is a priority. Plus, swimming is both an aerobic and a resistance exercise. 

Why Does That Matter? 

Aerobic exercise improves your cardiovascular performance. It’s what your heart and lungs need to get stronger. It also helps with weight loss. Resistance training can also help with weight loss but in a different way. Increasing muscle mass helps you burn more calories. But, arguably even more important, when you improve muscle tone and strength, you see better physical function. It protects your joints from injury, helps guard your muscles and bone mass from loss, and can even reverse frailty. Put simply, for fitness, you need both aerobic and resistance exercise. 

Need Low-Impact Exercise Ideas? 

Now that you know why exercising in your pool is a great idea, you may be wondering what sort of exercises you should be doing. You have so many options. Even if swimming is the only workout you do, you can achieve your fitness goals, because it’s a full-body workout. However, if you want to add variety to your regimen, here are some fun suggestions:

• Classic Cardio Moves – Remember the simple aerobic exercises you first learned in elementary school PE? We’re talking the basics, like jumping jacks, squats, frog jumps, crisscross jumps, and scissor steps. If you’re like most of us, you stopped subjecting your knees to the impact of jumping jacks and the like long ago. But guess what, in the pool, they’re low-impact and easy to do, while still being extremely effective. 
• Jogging and Walking – Pounding the pavement is jarring, but jogging in your pool feels great. To increase resistance, jog or speed walk to one side, and then quickly turn and push hard against the current before the water settles down. You’ll be surprised at how a simple walk in your pool can get your heart pumping.
• Dance It Out – Dancing is a high-intensity workout, but in your pool, it’s low-impact and safe for your joints. If you’ve ever thought of giving Zumba® a try, put on some fun music and hop in your pool. Check out this video by YouTuber Léa Robert for inspiration!

Whether you’re exercising in your traditional pool or an Endless Pools® Fitness System, give these low-impact exercises a try and soon you’ll be putting a big ✔ by all of your fitness goals! Need more time to focus on your workout? Free up your schedule by letting us handle your pool and spa maintenance! Contact us to learn more about our route service options.