[chickadee2]

My kids are great swimmers and I don't need to be by their side all the time in the pool. Today they were going off the diving board and I was at the rope in the deep end just treading water. I am not a swimmer - as far as doing laps and that sort of thing. But I figure treading water, walking in water, kicking my legs, doing jumping jacks - all that sort of stuff - it must burn more calories than just sitting on a lawn chair? I felt like I was playing around. My friend was floating on a raft - and the entire time we were in the pool I was moving my legs and arms. I wear a bodybugg that helps me calculate my calorie burn but it's not waterproof so I have no idea how many calories I burned - common sense tells me it was more than my sitting still burn which is just 1.4 a minute.

[ChickieChicks]

I'm sure it was!

I do that, too. Last time I as at the pool, I walked around the pool as fast as I could with my son on my back. I sat on a bench part of the pool, straightened my legs and pulled them up and down under water, kind of like a flutterkcicks. Sometimes my legs were together and I'd lift my four year old up and down. Great for the abs! I also sin them around fast, lift them over my head, etc. during adult swim, I just bop around.

I love pool exercise because it is so easy on my hip joints.

[EllieFunt]

With it being so hot here and me not feeling motivated to walk in the heat - I've started doing some exercises in my home pool. It's smallish - 14' diameter and probably 4' deep. I'd rather workout early morning in the pool before the kids get up and the heat hasn't really kicked it. I've made up my own 30 minute workout. I checked on SP to see what the calories burned are and for my size it's approx. 145 in 30 minutes.

I hope to do my workout 3x's a week this summer.

[chickadee2]

Chickie I'm glad I'm not the only one who tries that sort of stuff. Now that I know my siting still burn is 1.4, I figure if I move in the pool it must be at least 2.8 - but it's hard to say for sure. So long as the weight keeps coming off, I guess that's a good sign.
Ellie - We used to have an INTEX pool like that but husband hasn't put it up yet this year. I have a few friends with inground pools and I've been lucky enough to be invited at least 3x a week to swim with someone. I just spent the last 2.5 hours in a friends pool - treading water mostly - or holding onto the side and kicking my legs. I wish we had our own pool - I'd love to get up before kids - and heck go out again after they'd gone to bed!

[themusicalfruit]

I go to the local water park a couple of times a week. I'm not really super athletic, so I, like yourself, don't do the whole laps and strokes thing.

I've found that it's easier to do almost running-like movements in the water because I feel 10 million times lighter in the water. Also, leg lifts. Maybe squats in shallower water.

Honestly, I think even just walking in water, because of the water pressure, is just as efficient in burning calories.