Calories Burned Water Aerobics, or Why Aquafit Is Good for Weight Loss

Working out at the gym, jogging, running, lifting weights, performing fitness challenges, jumping into cardio training – all these and other activities are effective for weight loss. However, there is one but – they are not suitable for everyone. 

Let’s face it, running or bodyweight training can shed calories but they could also be the reason why your knee joints are hurting. Knee joints can hurt from factors such as incorrect technique or high-impact movements with either too much volume or at an unsuitable intensity. Here’s another cool hack for losing weight – implement aquafit into your routine. Doing water aerobics for two weeks or longer will give you multiple benefits. And here’s the best surprise – this activity is low impact, which is easy on your knee joints. 

The number of calories burned in aqua Zumba or any other type of water class is dependent on many factors: intensity, endurance, and your incorporation of special aqua tools.

In this piece, we’ll explore the number of calories burned in water aerobics, or why aquafit is good for weight loss. In addition, we’ll uncover the real benefits of water exercises and the six efficient pool activities to shape you up.

Is water aerobics good for losing weight?

Water aerobics is not only good, it’s excellent for weight loss. Remember this: your body is still moving and the water resistance promotes more calorie burn. Choosing water aerobics for losing weight is one of the best decisions you can make for yourself. 

All right, I get it, you need actual proof. It’s high time I presented you with the estimate of calories burned in aquafit for three different weights. 

I will be using the Harvard Health Publication, which gives the evaluation based on three different weights: 125 pounds, 155 pounds, and 185 pounds.

A 125-pound person who participates in 30 minutes of water aerobics can burn approximately 120 calories. In this case, 60 minutes of water aerobics calories burned may add up to 240 calories. 

A 155-pound person approximately burns 144 calories in 30 minutes and 288 in one hour of water aerobics. Lastly, a 185-pound person can expect to burn 168 calories in 30 minutes or 336 calories in one hour of water aerobics.

However, these are only estimates and your progress will be reliant on your body size and the intensity of the activity.  

Betterme will keep you laser-focused on your weight loss journey! Nutrient-packed meal plans, fat-blasting workouts, galvanizing challenges and much more. Try using the app and see for yourself!

Is water aerobics better than gym work?

Defining what is better is tough as not everyone enjoys swimming as well as not everyone is fond of gym work. At first sight, water aerobics seems easygoing: you just hop into the water and move there. 

Yet, when you actually try to perform intensive actions in the water for 30-45 minutes straight with extra tools, you might quickly change your mind. 

Both water exercises and gym work are effective for weight loss and overall health. However, water aerobics wins in this battle. Here’s why: 

Aquatic exercises don’t place as much pressure on your muscles, joints, and bones. Water creates a natural resistance that can help strengthen your body (2). Conversely, working out at the gym can place more pressure on your knees, which could be painful if not performed correctly.  

In addition, water aerobic training promotes weight loss. It encompasses strength, power, balance, and mobility. With the natural resistance of water, you can strengthen your muscles, burn calories, and fundamentally, not worry about pain in your knees. 

You can also increase the intensity of water exercises by incorporating water equipment, such as: 

• Hand-held water weights
• Aquatic swim belts
• Fins 
• Swim bars 
• Kickboards 
• Swim ankle or wrist weights 

They all boost the calories burned in aquafit while still keeping the impact low.

Gym training can be more complicated as it requires the right technique, places more pressure on your knees, and generally can be more daunting, particularly for beginners. 

Generally, gym workouts and aquatic exercises are beneficial for weight loss as well as your overall well-being. However, as it is low-impact, water aerobics is better for individuals with pain, injuries, or limitations that prohibit their participation in cardio or weightlifting exercises.

What are 3 benefits of water aerobics?

Identifying the benefits is my favorite part as water aerobics has many. However, here we’ll just focus on the three major benefits: 

1. It’s low-impact cardio.
2. It boosts mobility and flexibility. 
3. It enhances strength and balance and engages your core

It’s low-impact cardio

In addition to calorie destruction, aquatic exercises are easy on your joints while still offering an excellent cardio workout. This is the real beauty of water aerobics: anyone can do it despite their age, body size, and health condition. 

There are many Water Exercises For Seniors that improve heart function, increase flexibility, help build muscle mass, and reduce stress. 

Don’t underestimate water exercises as they can get your heart pumping, particularly if you attend a cardio-focused water class.

It boosts mobility and flexibility 

When you’re immersed in the water, the buoyancy and pressure of the water allow your joints to move more freely. The more freely you move, the greater stretching you get. Water is the perfect place to move your joints through a wider range of motion that would be difficult to do on land. 

Promoting range of motion makes your body more flexible and mobile for new invigorating challenges. 

Read more: Calories Burned Playing Tennis: Your Guide to Fitness on the Court

It enhances strength and balance and engages your core

Aquafitness is the best form of full-body exercise as it strengthens your muscles (1). If you’ve ever tried to move your arms in the water, you’ll know that it’s way harder than doing it on land. Due to water resistance, every movement becomes more difficult, but your reward will be seen in stronger muscles. 

In addition, if you complete certain exercises, particularly those that use extra equipment, it may be challenging for you to be stable and balanced. For example, doing squats in water requires engaging your core, which makes it a sneaky core workout. 

Are you inspired to give aquafitness a shot? I know that starting another exercise routine all over again seems boring and difficult. How to Start Exercising Again? There’s nothing wrong with this question as we all have been there, wondering about the perfect day, the perfect timing, and the perfect conditions to do so. 

There is one thing you should always be wary of: there is no perfect time for you. However, you should take action and change your life: trimming the fat, reaping a stronger body, improving your quality of life, and feeling better about yourself. 

How long should water aerobics last?

A typical water aerobics session lasts for one hour. An instructor will lead you through the series of movements to invigorating music. A water aerobics class starts with a warm-up activity, then moves to straight training, and cardio, before it ends with a cooldown (4).

However, you shouldn’t aim for hourly classes at first. If you’re just starting out, you could try 30 or 45-minute classes and gradually move to a one-hour session. 

Deep water aerobics calories burned will still amaze you no matter if it’s a whole hour or a 30-minute class. Essentially, it’s the range and intensity of your movements that matter. 

Also, don’t forget to have fun as this is what makes water aerobics stand out – it’s beneficial for your health and engaging at the same time. 

Moving to the music in the water is a social activity that boosts your mood. This adds up to bright moments in your life.  

Which is better for weight loss – aerobics or water aerobics?

Both water and land aerobics smash your calories, but when observing the general estimates, land aerobics wins in this weight loss category. Check out the comparison table based on Harvard Health Publishing: 

Calories Burned in 30-minute activities

Generally, the difference is not significant between aerobics and water aerobics calories burned, but water aquafit classes are less stressful for your knee joints, which already gives them an advantage. 

Is aqua aerobics better than swimming?

Swimming or aqua aerobics calories burned – which is better? According to the general estimates of Harvard Health Publishing, swimming promotes more calorie burn than water aerobics. 

This doesn’t mean that you should concentrate on swimming and forget about water aerobics classes. A top-notch decision would be to practice both of these activities weekly. Start by doing each activity once a week and within a month you’ll see positive results. 

Once your body gets used to water movements, you could switch to longer classes, which will boost your calorie burn. 

BetterMe app will kick you out of the mental funk, shake off your extra weight, rid you off your energy-zapping habits, and help you sculpt the body of your dreams. Intrigued? Hurry up and change your life for the better!

Is water aerobics a good exercise?

Absolutely. Aquafit classes are beneficial for your overall health. They can help strengthen your muscles, enhance balance and stability, and trim the fat all over your body. Check out these six efficient Types Of Exercise that can be done in water (2):

Water walking

Instructions:

• Walk across the pool swinging your arms.
• Avoid walking on tiptoes, and keep your back straight. 
• Tighten your core muscles to avoid leaning too far forward or to the side.

Increase resistance by wearing hand webs or other resistance devices. 

Deep-water walking with hand webs

After walking in waist-high water, try strolling in deeper water.

Instructions: 

• Swing your arms, keeping your back straight, and tighten the abdominal muscles to avoid leaning too far forward or to the side.
• Place a water noodle between your legs. The noodle should be higher in the back than in the front. 
• Wear a flotation vest if you haven’t learned how to swim. 

Wear hand webs to increase resistance as your hands and arms move through the water. 

Arm exercise using hand webs

Using hand webs helps strengthen the biceps and triceps in the water. 

Instructions: 

• Put on hand webs and stand in waist-high water with your arms down and elbows close to your body.
• Raise your forearms to the level of the water and keep your elbows close to your body.
• Push your hands down until your arms are straight again. 
• Repeat 12 to 15 times or until tired.

Arm exercise using water weights

For this exercise, you need special foam dumbbells to add resistance to your water training. 

Instructions: 

• Hold the bars of the water weights with your palms facing up.
• Lift your forearms to the level of the water, keeping your elbows close to your body.
• Turn the dumbbells over so your palms face the bottom of the pool.
• Push your hands down until your arms are straight.
• Repeat 12 to 15 times.

Resistance exercise using a kickboard

Kickboards are also designed for additional resistance. 

Instructions: 

• Stand up straight with your legs apart and your abdominal muscles tight. Extend your right arm and hold the kickboard on each end.
• Move the kickboard to the center of your body, keeping your right elbow close to your body
• Return to the starting position and repeat up to 15 times.
• Repeat the exercise for the other side.

Leg exercise with a noodle

A perfect water exercise for strengthening your leg muscles. 

Instructions: 

• Tie a water noodle into a knot around your foot. 
• Stand comfortably with your back to the side of the pool in waist-high water.
• Straighten your leg in front of you, and flex your knee to approximately 90 degrees.
• Return to the starting position and repeat 12 to 15 times.
• Tie the water noodle into a knot around your other foot and repeat with your other leg.

Read more: Calories Burned Playing Golf: Driving Calorie Burns to Meet Your Weight Loss Par  

FAQs

• Are water aerobics good for weight loss?

Absolutely! Water aerobics is an excellent low-impact exercise for weight loss. It is easy on your knee joints and promotes overall health, including enhanced coordination and mobility, in addition to stronger muscles and a tighter core.

• How many calories do you burn in 50 minutes of water aerobics?

A person loses approximately 200 to 220 calories in 50 minutes of water aerobics. However, this depends on the intensity of the aqua class, the fitness levels of a participant, and their body size.

• How can I burn 500 calories in a pool?

Do you want to burn 500 calories in the pool? You can do this by implementing both swimming and aerobic exercises. A one-hour water aerobic class and a one-hour swimming class once a week will help you burn 500 calories.

• Is it OK to do water aerobics every day?

As aquafitness classes are low-impact, it is fine to do them daily, but only if you feel fine after each class. If you feel sore the next day, it’s better to reduce the number of classes per week. The intensity and duration of the class are also influencing factors.

• Is water aerobics once a week enough exercise?

Generally, it’s still better than nothing, but the number of classes you do will depend on your goals. Certainly, if you want to lose weight, you should aim for more water aerobics sessions and make sure you maintain a healthy diet that is rich in nutrient-dense foods.

The Bottom Line

The number of calories burned by water aerobics, or why aquafit is good for weight loss? You now know that aquafit classes are a healthy and effective way to shed calories. It’s better than gym work as it places zero pressure on your knee joints.

Get prepared to reap other benefits from this water activity: you’ll end up with stronger muscles, a more balanced and mobile body, and an engaged core. 

Despite burning fewer calories than swimming or land aerobics, aquatic exercises are attracting more people. They are fun, low-impact, and fat-burning all at the same time.