That's Fit

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Dear Fitz, I love the summer weather, and really want to use the large outdoor pool at my gym. I do water walking and swim a couple of laps, but then I get so bored! Swimming 20 laps in a row is not fun for me. I'm pretty sure swimming burns a lot of calories, which is my goal. Help! Deanna

A. Hi Deanna, I'm so excited to help you, cause I too love the benefits of training in the water. We always hear that it's a terrific workout for those who want to avoid trauma from high impact activities. It also happens to be a fantastic workout for those who want to burn a massive amount of calories! Quick personal story. About eight years ago, while in the midst of a competitive kickboxing career, I tore my right hamstring. This made it impossible for me to do almost any sort of activity that involved any sort of impact. I also happened to be about 5% body fat at the time. I thought there was no way in the world that I could lose another pound. At 5'6" and 114 pounds, I was sitting on my bones. Having said that ... after swimming most nights for three weeks I actually lost three pounds. I was sold! Swimming is awesome exercise!

So back to your question. Yes, swimming lap after lap can be boring. The fix is quick and easy though. A pool workout jammed with a variety of activities and strokes will keep you huffing, puffing and happy. Give this workout a try and then get back to me. This workout should take you about 20 minutes to complete. If you want to make the workout harder or easier, just remove one repetition or add one to each exercise. If you're really ambitious, go through the entire workout twice!

Fitz's Calorie Torching Pool Workout

• 4 laps Freestyle swimming
• 4 laps running
• 20 Dips. Put your hands on the edge of the wall while your body is facing the center of the pool. With bent elbows, lift your body out of the water onto straight arms.
• 50 jumping jacks
• 4 laps Freestyle swimming
• 20 Pool Push-ups. Put your hands on the ledge of the pool with feet behind you. Bring your chest towards the ledge and then push away.
• 2 laps Bunny Jumps (jump across the pool like a bunny)
• 4 laps using kick-board
• 20 Dips
• 4 laps running backward
• 50 jumping jacks
• 4 laps using kick-board
• 20 Pool Push-ups.

**This workout is designed for a lap pool, which does not go very deep. If you are using a regular pool do your runs and jumps in the shallow end.

Punches & Kicks,