Making waves

Are you frustrated with your children's obsession with immobile activities? Video games, Internet and satellite TV can rule their lives and yours. With childhood obesity plaguing many North American kids, it's time to get your little ones moving. For a fun, refreshing summer workout, pull out their bathing suits and get them into the pool.

Julie Twynham, president of Body Check Inc. and consultant for Speedo Canada, tapped into the fun aspect of aquatic fitness while creating her WaterART Kidz program. She states, "Playing at an open swim time may be great fun but may not target all of the components of fitness, nor include all children." Aquatic fitness allows the flexibility of increasing or decreasing intensity, which eliminates the "fear of failure" that can discourage kids. By working at their pace, says Twynham, kids gain positive self-esteem and are more likely to stick with the program.

You can try the following three exercises/games with your children for a fun family workout or round up a group of their friends. Remember to keep drinking water on hand (leave water bottles at poolside), as rehydrating is essential for any exercise.

Ball Line Pass
The children stand in a line and pass the ball over their head to the next child in line. When the ball reaches the end of the line, that person races to the front. (See image)

Partner — Cat & Mouse
Get a partner. One child is the cat — the other the mouse. The cat chases the mouse until they are touched or lightly tagged — then the cat changes and becomes the mouse (and is now chased). (See image)

Noodle Jump Rope
Using the noodle as a skipping rope, jump the rope. This is an agility and balance exercise. Tip: Push the noodle down and anchor it just before jumping over. (See image)

For more great reasons to encourage your kids to participate in aquatic fitness, here is what the folks at Body Check Inc. tote as just some of the benefits of this exercise.

Social rewards
• It's fun.
• Less-fit participants can work out with those who are more fit — as long as they go at their own pace.
• It's a great way to meet friends of varying ages.

It's an accepting workout
• It's an equal-opportunity exercise — every "body" works at its own pace.
• Non-swimmers can participate.
• Nervous kids don't have to get their hair wet or put their faces in the water.
• Generally, participants do not require much co-ordination.

Physical rewards
• Water provides natural resistance for improved balancing, strengthening and muscle-toning.
• It keeps you cool. Aquatic fitness is an ideal activity during hot, humid weather or in warm climates.
• It's a great workout for physically-challenged participants who may not be able to exercise on land.
• It offers a superior abdominal workout (muscles are worked just by standing tall in the water and stabilizing the body.)

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Michele Drake is a Toronto-based fitness consultant. She is certified with a long list of associations including the Canadian Personal Trainers Network, CanFitPro and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. She is also the founder and creator of a pre and postnatal fitness regime Healthy Me, Healthy You.