There's no need to spend your pregnancy lounging on the couch. Unless you have a high-risk condition and/or your doctor advises against exercise, being active during pregnancy can have many benefits.

One recent study, for example, shows that doing water aerobics during pregnancy can make labor bearable. Half of the women in the study attended three 50-minute water aerobics sessions each week, the other half did not. Researchers followed up with the women after they delivered their babies and found that, while the duration and type of delivery didn't vary, women who didn't participate in water aerobics requested anesthetic more frequently than the women who were active during pregnancy.

So, is water aerobics the magic solution that makes labor more bearable? I don't think there's enough information from this study to suggest that. But water aerobics is a gentle, effective exercise and is a good choice for pregnant women. The American Pregnancy Association has more suggestions for exercise. Before beginning any exercise routine while you're pregnant, it's important to check with your OB/GYN.

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I've been drenched this summer. About a million hours so far racing around water parks, pounding out cannonball after cannonball with my children and running laps in pools with clients striving to become more fit. I just thought I'd give credit to the one thing that's allowing me to get through it all and keep coming back for more: my pool shoes.

I tell you, they're ugly, fugly, and completely unflattering with my brown polka dotted bikini. They are, in fact, the only thing keeping me from tapping out of summer fun though. I realized this yesterday as I went to work at my client's lap pool and forgot them. Oh man! Every step I took was more excruciating than the last. It was dreadful. I also had a rotten experience a bit back when I hit Disney's Typhoon Lagoon without my fancy footwear. Between the heat, the concrete, and the sand ... my feet took quite a beating.

So! If you too, are working out in the water this summer and want to take it up a notch ... protect those tootsies and get yourself some pool shoes. They're one of the most functional fitness tools I've used all summer!

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