Water Aerobics are NOT just for sissies and old ladies...

I know, I know...when people think of water aerobics they picture a group of little white Q-tip heads bobbing up and down in the water with their milk jugs and their silly old fashioned swimming suits, paramedics standing by in case anyone suddenly has a heart attack or a stroke...but I'm here to tell you that it really isn't like that at all.
Back in my college days (after having gained the freshman 15...okay,okay it was 30...give or take 10...) I woke up one day realizing that if I ever wanted to catch a man I better actually get rid of my giant rear end (I could say I did this for my own personal self esteem, but would you really believe me?)  That's when I joined a gym.  Little did I know that I was actually NOT allergic to exercise--in fact, I loved it (I loved it THEN...not so much anymore...)
I started with regular floor aerobics, but having to watch myself be uncoordinated and flap around in the giant mirror was almost more than I could take, so I moved on to a Lifecycle.  Weight loss was slow, so I realized I was going to have to face the giant mirror anyway, and I  readied myself to go back to aerobics.. It wasn't as bad as I thought, and as time passed, I liked it a little better and got a little more coordinated, but still the weight was slow to come off and I was ready to try something else.  About a month into my new gym  life, I decided to try swimming laps...but as I worked my way over to the pool, I was accosted my three old ladies and a water aerobics instructor, who convinced me to give the class a try.  I will freely admit that at first I felt a little silly, but I participated anyway. One of the women in the class even warned me "not to work too hard on my first day". That made me laugh a little on the inside...and I kept on laughing all the way until the next morning...when suddenly I couldn't move my arms...or my legs... I think even my brain was hurting.  Of all the workouts I had tried, that water aerobics class was by far the HARDEST, even though it didn't seem like it at the time.
So what did I learn about water aerobics?  Several very awesome things..

1. Water aerobics are hard, but it doesn't FEEL like it's hard while you're doing it.  This might be because you aren't sweating (actually you are, if just doesn't feel like you are).
2. Deep water aerobics uses every single muscle in your body (especially your stomach muscles) because in addition to using your resistance to move, you have to keep yourself upright--the floaty things you wear do not do it for you.
3. It's easy on the joints.  After a knee injury I suffered in high school, many things make it hurt again--no running, twisting of knees, or deep lunges for me ever since then--but not once did I feel pain in water aerobics.
4. Sitting in the hot tub after class was the best thing ever.
5. Those three "old" ladies that were regulars in the class were absolutely fabulous!  They were funny, smart, entertaining and full of advice for a young chick that had no idea what life was about.  We spent a lot of time in the hot tub as they discussed all sorts of things and I had many good laughs with them.  I found out months later that one of them was actually 87 years old--I wouldn't have put her a day past 60... Sometimes I still miss them.
6. Water aerobics helped me lose ALL the weight I wanted to lose--and I lost it FAST... I dropped 3 sizes in a couple of months.

After I got married, as time went on, my gym membership expired and then we moved and that was the end of my regular gym attendance.  After Braden was born, a friend and I started going to water aerobics together every night for awhile, but bad weather and busy lives got in the way and eventually that came to an end too.
Now, as I sit here sidelined from the treadmill and the Bootcamp DVD, wishing I could exercise (wait...did I just say I am wishing I could exercise?  That's so unlike me...) I am longing for the days of water aerobics again.  A friend called yesterday to inform me she has actually found some classes that work with my schedule...so I think I'm going back.  Hope I can locate my swimming suit. Anyone want to join me?