Q: What is fitness?

Fitness comprises four important points in your daily life:

1. Nutrition
2. Muscle Conditioning, Toning or Resistance Training
3. Cardio or Endurance Training for your body’s strongest muscle – your heart muscle
4. Flexibility.

And while many have sought water exercise for the prevention of injuries and for the low impact exercise, an important element often overlooked both for land and water exercise is the fourth key to fitness – flexibility. It is critical to stretch and add flexibility to your body. Great athletes often excel at a sport not necessarily because of their strength but because of their flexibility and added agility in an active competition. Flexibility is the one item that can prevent injuries and yet all too often we only stretch once during a workout. For our training programs for instructors who wish to pass our Level II Achievement Program with the EZ Swimmer®, we always request no less than two distinct stretching sessions for each class session of swim fitness. Water Exercise is Not for Wimps Remember water exercise is not for wimps. Elite athletes have always known the great benefits of water exercise. The tri-athletes are typically most challenged with the water component, however, they often say it is the most rewarding for both endurance and flexibility. No other exercise offers better flexibility training than water exercise.