Calories Burned by Water Aerobics

Water aerobics has become a rage all over the world. It is due to the many health benefits it offers. The most important advantage of this form of exercise is that it has a low impact on the joints because water displaces up to 85% of weight depending upon the amount of water in the pool.

Aqua aerobics is easy on the skeletal structure and is beneficial for people of any age, size, or fitness level. To take up a class of aqua aerobics, you do not necessarily have to be a swimmer. There are some classes where they do ask for lap swimming for a few minutes, but more often than not, the whole exercise program is conducted standing in water.

The deeper the water, the more the number of calories will you burn. In the initial part of the session, it may seem like you are just having fun splashing around in the pool. However, the muscles work harder due to the resistance offered by water.

The number of calories burned depends on the depth of the water, rather than the intensity of the workout. The weight of a person is directly proportional to the number of calories burned. That is, more the weight of a person, the more will be the number of calories burned.

Let us understand this with a few examples. If a person weighs 160 lbs, he/she will burn approximately 402 calories in an hour. If the person weighs 200 lbs, the number of calories burned in an hour will be 501.

On the other hand, a person weighing 240 lbs will burn as much as 600 calories with a water workout session of 60 minutes. The reason for this is that more energy is required to push a large mass through water. Therefore, it is obvious that a person who weighs less will require less number of calories to navigate through water than a person who weighs more.

Here are some advantages of aqua aerobics:

• If the water is up to the chest level, about 80 to 90% of the body is supported due to buoyancy. So, the joints and bones are well protected.
• You will shape and tone up faster as water provides more resistance.
• Flexibility and balance improves as there is a wider range of motions that can be performed in water.

Health care professionals recommend getting into water on warm days. Though this exercise helps you burn calories without much efforts, it is recommended that you undertake aqua aerobics under a trained and qualified instructor so that there is no mistake in your stature, and you do not injure yourself.

Disclaimer: The information provided should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.