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No-Sweat Toning

Water exercise is a vigorous yet low-impact way to tone the whole body. Here's how to make the most out of aqua.

Make a splash during your next workout by turning that swimming pool into a multifunction gym. The results can be amazing: Swim a fast freestyle and you'll burn 680 calories per hour. That's as many calories as you'd burn running 6 mph for an hour—a 10-minute mile. Whew. Even a leisurely swim can top 400 calories per hour, and water jogging more than 540 calories. The water helps provide resistance, and even in the dog days of summer you stay cool. What's better than that? Here are four in-the-pool exercises you can try the next time you take a dive:

Dips
1. Place palms flat on pool edge. Raise yourself as high as you can by straightening arms. Hold for a few seconds.
2. Keep your elbows close to body, lower yourself until elbows are at 90 degrees. Don't touch the bottom. Raise and lower 10 to 20 times.

Leg Curls
1. Stand with legs together. Hold pool edge for balance.
2. Bend your left knee and try to touch your heel to butt. Lower and repeat with right leg to complete one repetition. Do 20 reps.

Jumps
1. Stand with feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Squat until shoulders are underwater. Keep arms out for balance.
2. Jump straight up, lowering arms to your side and squeezing your butt as you go. Bring legs together at top of jump. Land in starting position. Do 20 reps.

Scissors
1. Lean back against pool wall, extending arms and grabbing edge for support. Raise legs so they're parallel to pool bottom, then spread legs as wide as possible.
2. Squeezing inner thighs, bring legs together, crossing left leg over right. Contracting outer thighs, open back up to starting position. Repeat, crossing right leg over left, to complete one repetition. Do 20 reps.

Then, Stroke to Success
And, of course, you should do some swimming with your workout. Good form means you'll more quickly tone your abs, arms, and legs. Concentrate on the freestyle stroke, because it's a great cardio workout, and it builds your core muscles. Here's how to maintain the best head-to-toe form:

Head: To reduce drag and prevent your back and neck from straining, keep your head down and in line with your spine. Look at the bottom of the pool when you're not turning to breathe.

Arms and hands: When you reach out to stroke, extend your arm as far forward as possible, and then pull your forearm at a right angle to your upper arm, like you're pulling sand to you with a shovel. Your hands should be slightly cupped. Think of it as pulling yourself through the water, rather than pushing.

Torso and hips: Keep your midsection tight and your hips aligned with your shoulders. Imagine a central axis extending from the top of your head to the opposite end of the pool. Rotate your body along this axis with each stroke. Keep your back and abs taut. With each stroke, the low side of your body should almost point to the bottom of the pool. Rotating our body along this axis makes for more powerful strokes and a better workout.

Legs and feet: Your legs should be taut and your feet flexible—this will allow your feet to bend and snap at the downstroke for added power.