ANGEL FIRE Water aerobics is becoming increasingly popular for people who need to rehabilitate from injuries, exercise certain muscles or just want to work out.

The swimming pool at Angel Fire Resort County Club has become one location for people to enjoy the popular activity.

Care is taken in the classes to accommodate students and keep them safe.

They wear aqua shoes so theres minimal impact instead of jogging on concrete, Jan Zientara, the water aerobics instructor at Angel Fire Resort Country Club, said. It lessens the jolt on our joint just like any other land run. But I would say its a full-body workout. Youre not having to sweat, you feel like youre not working as hard because our blood does circulate faster, the water is cooling them at the same time. And its really the light impact.

Any of this equipment Im using, youd have to have a free weight, Zientara said. Water is 12 times denser and youre working companion muscles in the water, so they dont have any soreness the day after. When youre working with buoyancy equipment its more of an arm curl rather than a bicep curl. If youre on land youre just working one of the muscles.

Zientara became involved with aqua fitness in Illinois and eventually received her fitness training certification.

Just knowing that through the certification through the arthritis foundation, I know how to modify a move if theyre protecting a joint, Zientara said. If they have arthritis in their hand they would have been done. Hip replacements you dont want to cross a midline. I can tell them to modify this and just feel it.

Increasing bone density is another benefit from regularly practicing water aerobics.

When I was working with people in Illinois, they said that their bone density had gotten better, Zientara said. Its not as much weight-bearing, but its enough. You will burn calories but it all comes down to what you eat.

The average age of participants is about 60 and up and classes can sometimes get as large as 17 people, Zientara said.

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Sangre Chronicle > Angel Fire > Water aerobics makes huge splash in Angel Fire