If you are looking to put a little "spritz" into your exercise routine this summer, water exercise is an excellent alternative.  Its level of difficulty can be easily adjusted to accommodate your fitness and skill level.  Exercising in the water, whether it be through swimming or water aerobics, reduces the load placed on your joints, thereby reducing your risk for musculoskeletal injury and discomfort.  Therefore, it is a great option if you are an older adult, an individual who is trying to lose weight, someone who suffers from arthritis, or one who is recovering from an injury from which traditional weight bearing exercise should be temporarily avoided.  

     If you are interested in a form of water activity that is a little more adventurous (and which may require greater skill) consider canoeing, kayaking, paddle boating, water volleyball, and/or water polo.  Below is a list of estimated caloric expenditure for some common water activities and swim strokes.

Calories Burned During Water Activities*: (estimates for a person weighing 150 lbs. performing activity for 30 minutes)

• Swimming/treading water at a moderate effort:  143 kcal
• Swimming - backstroke, crawl (slow), sidestroke:  286 kcal
• Swimming - breaststroke:  358 kcal
• Water aerobics:  143 kcal
• Paddle boating:  143 kcal
• Canoeing - light to vigorous effort:  107-430 kcal
• Kayaking:  179 kcal
• Water volleyball:  107 kcal

*Older adults, overweight individuals, those suffering from arthritis or injury may need to perform these activities at a lower intensity level based on current fitness and health condition.  Therefore, kcal expended may be less than estimated above.  Also, you should consult your physician to ensure underlying health conditions will not be aggravated by participation in these activities.

Note:  Before beginning an exercise program or increasing the intensity level of a current routine, a physician's approval should be obtained, especially for older adults and those at risk for or who currently have chronic health conditions.

Resources:

The Compendium of Physical Activities Tracking Guide. www.prevention.sph.sc.edu/tools/docs/documents_compendium.pdf