To stay in shape this summer while avoiding a hot and sweaty workout, head for the pool for water exercise, or aquatics.

It’s one of the most effective non-impact fitness activities whether you are young or old, overweight or frail, pregnant or affected by arthritis or injury.

Water naturally adds resistance, and the buoyancy factor reduces the “weight” of a person by about 90%, according to the American Council on Exercise.

This means that the stress on weight bearing joints, bones and muscles is greatly reduced.

Your heart rate will stay lower too, reduced by as much as 17 beats per minute when compared to land exercise, even if you are exercising intensely, so you can’t measure the impact of your water workout by your heart rate alone.

Water provides a good environment for stretching and flexibility. The effects of gravity are lessened, so you can move your joints through a wider range of motion.

Whether you join a class or make the effort to work out on your own, it’s important to approach aquatics as you would any exercise … with a gentle warm up preceding your workout and a cool-down period after that includes stretching either in or out of the water.