When you are trying to lose weight and you need to shake up your workout routine, an alternative way to workout is by performing water exercises. There are many different activities you can do in the water to help you lose weight. If you are not close to a lake or the ocean, using a swimming pool is the best way to workout in the water.

Swimming laps is the most common exercise to perform in a pool. If you belong to a swim club you should be able to get in a great workout by doing some distance swimming. Make sure that you do not overdo it the first few times you swim long laps in a pool. If you start to tire, you may want to stay in the shallow end in case you start to cramp up.

Swimming short laps at a fast rate is a great way to burn some calories. Warm up by swimming some laps at a slow pace, then start your sprint workout. Usually this will mean you sprint from side-to-side in the pool, instead of swimming the length. Make sure this is an acceptable exercise before you start your workout, or you may cut across swim lanes that other people are using.

You can also swim some fast laps in your own pool if you have one at home. The size of the pool will most likely be much smaller than the pool at a swim club, but you can still swim some short laps at a fast pace. Be careful when you swim fast laps in your home pool, since it is very easy to get wrapped up in your workout and accidentally hit your head on the side of the pool.

Performing calisthenics in the water is another way you can lose some weight. Try doing some simple jumping jacks to get your heart rate going. You can also hold onto the side of the pool and do leg kicks. If you have a basketball or volleyball net in your pool, all of the jumping you will do during these sports will give you a great workout.

Water aerobics is another popular form of aquatic exercise. If you belong to a gym, find out if there are water aerobics classes available. You can also do aerobics in your own swimming pool if you have one at home. Set your watch for the number of minutes that you want to train, then perform your water workout. Turn on some music to make your aerobics workout more enjoyable.

Water jogging may not be the most graceful way to exercise, but it is an effective way to lose some weight. Simply jog around the shallow end of the pool for a certain amount of time. If you belong to a swim club, this activity is a lot of fun to participate in with other people.