Splashing around in the water is great fun and it helped Miss Eileen Pang shed 11kg.
Miss Pang has been working out at fitness chain Fitness First's aqua exercise classes called Aqua Fit twice a week for the last 21/2 years.
The 26-year-old counsellor said: 'It looked interesting so I decided to try it. I was trying to lose weight and I got hooked on the Aqua Fit classes.'
Miss Pang said she preferred the aqua exercise classes to the land-based gym classes like Body Attack and Step, which she attends thrice a week.
Water-based exercises are suited to those with joint problems as water buoyancy relieves the impact on the joints.
She said: 'Aqua Fit is more of a total body workout. It's also not as strict as the other classes and we change routines often. Sometimes we run around the pool, sometimes we do lots of arm and leg exercises and sometimes we do relaxation exercises. It's not fixed so we don't get bored easily.'
Fitness First runs five water exercise classes across three of its clubs each week.
Mr Vincent Lee, assistant fitness manager at Fitness First in Paragon, said: 'Exercise in the pool is good because it is low impact. Water creates a certain buoyancy and resistance. Buoyancy is good for rehabilitation purposes as you float on water which relieves impact on your joints.'
The advantage of water-based exercise over that done on land is that the weight of one's body is removed.
Dr Cormac O'Muircheartaigh, sports physician at the Singapore Sports Council, said that water-based exercise has the added advantage that the exercise can be performed pain-free.
'This is very important for individuals who either have a medical reason or a musculo-skeletal problem that curtails the exercise that they can safely perform on land.'
Ms Wendy Lim, senior physiotherapist at Alexandra Hospital's Sports Medicine Centre, added: 'The resistance provided by the water enables us to strengthen our muscles and its buoyancy provides a form of support and protection for our joints when we are performing the movements in the water.'
While water sports like swimming and water polo are effective forms of aerobic conditioning for the body, gentler water activities like hydrotherapy help in the relief and recovery of injuries.
Hydrotherapy - therapy conducted in water - is often recommended for patients with ailments like arthritic joint pain or injured athletes.
Water activities, like swimming and canoeing, are also suitable for the elderly, said Ms Lim.
'But those new to water activities can start by walking against the resistance of water in the swimming pool or hydrotherapy pool. Safety is of the utmost importance so the person must be accompanied by another.'
Pregnant women can also benefit from water exercises like swimming, water jogging and aqua aerobics.
And like all exercises, the only way to reap lasting benefits is to stick with it.
Mr Lee said: 'Having fun is very important to keep up motivation, which helps one to keep to an exercise regime.'
