Denise Austin’s 10-Minute Pool Exercises for Weight Loss Melt Fat Fast—and Feel Like Playtime!
Get ready to torch calories while toning your arms, waist and thighs—without straining your joints
Key Takeaways
- Denise Austin’s 10-minute pool workout burns calories and tones muscles without joint strain.
- Water resistance helps strengthen arms, abs and thighs while making exercise feel easier.
- Try water walking, tummy tucks, arm circles, leg lifts and flybacks to work different muscles.
What if you could melt fat, tone your body and feel like a kid again—all in just 10 minutes a day? Fitness legend Denise Austin, 69, says you can, and the secret is as simple as jumping in the pool. “Some exercises are best to do in the water,’” she says. “Plus, the sunshine and fresh air make you feel better!” Here she shares some of her favorite pool exercises for weight loss that are actually fun to do.
Denise Austin’s top pool exercises for weight loss
Ready to get started with water workouts? Denise created this simple circuit plan so you can tone muscles and lose weight by exercising just 10 minutes a day in a swimming pool.
Water walking to boost calorie burn
“This is a great total-body warm-up,” says Denise. “The more muscles you use, the more calories you burn.” Indeed, studies at Texas A&M University found that water walking builds 600 percent more lean muscle than strolling on dry land.
Woman's World Answers
To do: Standing in waist-deep water, begin to walk—making sure to lift those knees high—to work the glutes, quads and calves. To burn even more calories, move to chest-deep water and pump your submerged arms with each stride, trying to maintain good, upright posture during this water exercise.
Total time: 3 minutes
Natural tummy tucks to flatten the belly
Lifting against gravity in the water delivers the same effect as pumping iron in the gym, without the strain. “This is my favorite ab exercise and it works like a reverse crunch,” says Denise. It tones the belly and hip flexors.
To do: Holding on to the edge of the pool, your back against the wall, pull your knees to your chest, engaging your core. Extend your legs back out toward the floor. Beginners, try one leg at a time. For a challenge, flutter kick your legs side to side.
Total time: 2 minutes
Tiny circles to tone arms
“This [pool exercise] is great for sculpting arms and shoulders,” promises Denise. You will feel it in your biceps, triceps and deltoids. And keeping arms submerged ensures proper resistance to help tone and strengthen your arms.
To do: Palms facing up, stretch your arms to the sides and trace little circles in the water clockwise for 1 minute, then counterclockwise. For a challenge: Move to deeper water and raise and lower your arms as you make circles.
Total time: 2 minutes
Side leg lifts to slim thighs
“This is an inner- and outer-thigh trimmer,” says Denise. “This move is better to do in water than anywhere else because of the resistance. And the water is so easy on your hip joints!”
To do: Using the pool edge for balance, stand on one leg and slowly lift the opposite leg up and out to the side. Squeeze your bottom, then lower your leg back down. Repeat for 1 minute, then switch sides.
Total time: 2 minutes
Flybacks to create long, lean muscles
“These presses strengthen muscles in the chest and back to improve posture,” says Denise, giving a slimmer appearance. Exercising in the pool in this way also tones muscles to reduce back strain.
To do: In shoulder-deep water with arms out front, pull your arms back and to the side, then press them forward to the start position. Continue a fluid rhythm, facing palms out when drawing back and palms in when drawing forward. After 30 seconds, pause, then repeat the cycle.
Total time: 1 minute
Why these pool exercises works so well for weight loss
Denise’s pool moves aren’t just fun and refreshing. They really tone and slim the body. Sound too good to be true? The proof is in the pool. Here’s the science that proves it works. Research shows water provides 12 times more resistance than air, which means muscles work up to 800 percent harder. But thanks to water’s natural buoyancy, the motions feel nearly effortless!
“Being in water lets you exercise without putting the full force of gravity on your joints,” says Howard Chansky, MD, chair of the Department of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at the University of Washington. “On land, that force can be seven times your body weight. In water, you reduce that force by hundreds of pounds.”
The bottom line on pool exercises for weight loss
With Denise Austin’s playful pool workout, you can tone your body, boost your mood and melt pounds—all while having the time of your life. So grab your swimsuit, dive in and discover how easy weight loss can be when it feels like pure summer fun. Your healthier, happier self is just 10 minutes away!
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