Swimming is recognised as probably the most generally beneficial forms of exercise. The UK government have even reduced the charges for many at local swimming baths in an attempt to encourage more to take up this beneficial form of exercise.

Swimming is great for everybody, young and old. It’s even good for those who are extremely overweight as it imposed far less stress on the joints and body weight in water is around one tenth of what it is in air.

Regular swimming is particularly good for the cardiovascular system and will help to build endurance. It is an ideal form of exercise for pregnant women, those with back pain or arthritis.
Your body is so much lighter in water making it an excellent way to work of those accumulated excess pounds. Aqua aerobics and aqua exercise have been growing in popularity as awareness of the need to maintain a healthy weight also grows. Aqua aerobics is generally less aggressive on the joints and muscles and this helps you to keep exercising for longer. In a 30 minute workout you can expect to burn around 300 calories.

Aqua exercises are generally aimed at improving strength and mobility by using the resistance of the water. The cushioning effect of water makes this form of exercise particularly suitable for elderly people, those who are overweight and pregnant women.

If you are lucky enough to be close by to a swimming pool or health spa, you will have the best opportunity to get involved in some water based exercise. The trick with any form of exercise is to start very gently indeed. Less is more as the saying goes. The crucial thing in your early sessions is to not put yourself off by overdoing it. Your first few sessions should be all about enjoying yourself and getting into your new regular exercise regime. It might be worth having a massage after the first few sessions also, which will relax the muscles and get rid of any lactic acid build up.

Try a gentle introduction, particularly if you haven’t exercised in a while and why not invite some family or friends to join you. You are far more likely to stick to your new exercise regime if you have an exercise buddy to join you. You can pick up monthly memberships at leisure facilities or buy some spa gift vouchers, both of which make a perfect present for anyone wanting to get back in shape.

You might even want to think about investing in building a pool at your home. You’ll need to be serious about aqua exercise, but in the long run you’ll find it much more convenient and even cost effective.

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