Underwater
Do you like water but hate dunking your newly-moussed hairdo in the pool? Would you rather walk than swim--and still enjoy the water? Working out in water has been called "the perfect exercise." If you've ever tried walking in thigh-deep water, you know it isn't easy. That's the point. Your muscles must push against the water as they move through it, so you get a water workout while keeping your feet on the ground and your hairdo intact.
The added benefit of waterwalking is that, like swimming, it is a low-impact exercise, protecting your joints from pounding wear and tear. Test show you can burn 460 calories per hour wlking in thigh-deep water. If you'd like to try waterwalking in a pool, here are somoe suggestions:
Wear shoes. A pool floor can chafe the bottom of your feet. Wear lightweight canvas sneakers or try the new water shoes available from several athletic shoe manufacturers. If you waterwalk along a lake or ocean, shoes are even more important.
Warm Up. Begin and end each session with a series of warm-up and cool-down stretches such as you might use for your usual dry-land fitness walk.
Start in shallow water. Walk across the shallow end, not into deep water. As your technique improves, move into deeper water.
Vary your walking technique. Walk forward for one length, keeping head erect, shoulders squared, and arms loosely at your side. Then walk backward to the starting point. Repeat. Walk slowly at first. Then try walking sideways. Vary you step with each lap.
