A recent study has proposed that engaging in your preferred workout routine underwater might enable you to shed around half a stone in as short a period as 10 weeks.
Participants who regularly attended hour-long aqua exercise sessions, which included activities such as aerobics, zumba, yoga, and even water jogging, noticed that their waists became 3cm (1.1 inches) slimmer. The researchers, who monitored nearly 300 individuals aged between 20 and 70, contended that water provides additional resistance. This extra resistance increases the calorie burn, leading to substantial weight loss. They further added that it lessens the pressure on joints like the knees and ankles, which are often vulnerable in people with obesity, thereby reducing the likelihood of getting injured.
The scientists from universities in Korea and China discovered that this method was especially beneficial for women over the age of 45. For the study, the researchers pooled the outcomes of 10 distinct clinical trials conducted in Malaysia, Brazil, India, the USA, and the Netherlands. They aimed to assess how effective water-based workouts were for weight loss. All the participants, who were either overweight or obese, had taken part in a water fitness program that lasted between six and 12 weeks.
This entailed attending two or three exercise classes per week, with a variety of activities ranging from aqua zumba to underwater treadmill training. An examination of the results indicated that these activities assisted both men and women in losing weight within a few months. After less than 10 weeks of the program, participants lost an average of 2kg (4.4lbs). However, those who continued to exercise for 10 weeks or longer lost an average of 3kg (6.6lbs).
Prior research has lent support to these new findings. A 2017 study from Poland revealed that overweight women lost an average of 3.4kg (7.4lbs) after six months of underwater exercise. At the conclusion of the training sessions, the participants in that study also experienced a lower heart rate and a reduction in body fat.
