Swimming exercises such as water jogging, swimming, water weight lifting, and participating in aquatic group exercise classes are all great examples of ways that you can improve your cardiovascular system. If you have never gone swimming before, take lessons before attempting the exercises below.

One of the best ways to incorporate swimming into your cardio routine is through the use of water jogging. Water jogging is a great exercise, especially for people who are not skilled swimmers, and can even be used by those that have no experience in the water at all. As the name suggests, water jogging is almost identical to normal jogging, except that it is performed in the water. For best results with water jogging, start by doing the activity in relatively shallow water, and gradually work into the deeper water as your cardiovascular system improves. Remember that the deeper the water, the more difficult the water jogging will be.

Next, one of the most common ways to improve your cardiovascular system is by swimming. Swimming is especially good for individuals who are interested in improving this part of their health, but have joint, muscle, or other injuries that prevent weight bearing exercises. If you are new to swimming, be sure to take lessons before attempting to swim on your own in order to ensure safety and promote optimal performance. Talk to friends and family members, and let them know that you are interested in taking swimming lessons. They may know of a great instructor in your area. Be sure that your contacts are aware of your current ability levels in order to find the instructor that is right for you.

While weight lifting is not often thought of as a way to improve your cardiovascular system, when done in water, it can do just that. Remember that when lifting weight in the water, perform a high number of repetitions in order to target the cardiovascular system. Water weights are typically composed primarily from Styrofoam. Water weights typically do not come in different weight levels--instead, the rate at which you move the weights in the water will dictate how difficult the exercise will be.

Finally, aerobic group exercise classes are a great way to help improve the current status of your cardiovascular system. For best results, talk to several group exercise instructors at your local gym. Ask if you can sit in on one of their classes, in order to determine if it is right for you. Finally, talk to several members of the class. Let them know that you are interested in improving your cardiovascular system, and inquire if they believe the class would be a good fit for you. Also, ask if they can think of any other group exercise aquatic classes that may be even better.