by Catharine Rasband

Created on: March 12, 2009   Last Updated: March 14, 2009

There are two ways to exercise in the water. 1) Swimming, and 2) Water Aerobics. They are both excellent ways to exercise the body while taking off the pressure on the body that is associated with land exercise. This article will focus on the benefits of water aerobics, performed in a vertical position in the water. One of the myths associated with water aerobics is that it is mainly geared to the senior population. While water is an excellent medium for this segment of the population, it should in no means be ignored by other groups. The properties of water combine together to provide an environment for a safe and effective workout for all age groups and fitness levels. Buoyancy, hydrostatic pressure, and the viscosity of the water all add advantages to exercising in the water, rather than on land.

Buoyancy, defined as the power to float or rise in a fluid, reduces our weight by about 90%. This takes pressure off of the spine, the knees, and other areas prone to aches, pains and injuries. This creates a perfect environment for low impact or even no impact aerobics (deep water). This enables people who are injured, pregnant, or otherwise experiencing physical limitations, to exercise. In addition, the minute a person gets into the water, shallow or deep, all their core muscles begin working to stabilize them, providing a stabilizing "ab" workout for even the most physically fit individuals. Hydrostatic pressure, another property of water, is defined as an equal amount of pressure on all surfaces of an object (or person) at a given level of immersion. The person, standing vertically in the water, will experience more pressure on their feet, than on their chest.

When a person goes for a walk, often their feet and hands will swell. This does not happen in the water because the hydrostatic pressure pushes everything, including fluids, up. This property of the water also helps breathing (unless someone suffers from respiratory difficulties), heart rate (the heart is able to pump blood more efficiently throughout the body), and soreness, as the lactic acid is taken out of the cells and delivered to the liver more efficiently (I like to tell my clients that they won't feel as sore after water exercise because the water is giving them a massage the whole time they are working out). Viscosity is defined as "the property of a fluid that resists the force tending to cause the fluid to flow. Basically, water is thicker than air. This means that for every movement made in

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