Something in The Water

Are you looking for something new to add to your exercise routine this summer? Why not try swimming?

Since we have a mayor that is very much into swimming, DC is said to have some of the best and safest swimming facilities in the country. There are 19 outdoor swimming facilities in the city alone, which opened for the summer over Memorial Day weekend. If you are a DC resident, the use of these facilities will cost you nothing (that's right they are free!) Non-residents pay just $4 for the day.

You can find out more information about the city's swimming facilities online.

Most large cities have similar facilities with information online including Pittsburgh, , New York City, Philly, LA and Chicago.

Swimming laps is a great cardio exercise. It gets your heart rate up so that you can burn calories, burn fat and increase lean body mass. As with biking, jogging and other forms of cardiovascular exercise, it is recommended that you do 20 to 30 minutes at a time to get the most benefit out of your workout.

If swimming laps sounds too repetitive, most land-based exercises can be done in the pool including Pilates, yoga, team sports like volleyball, strength training and jogging. Group classes are offered at most private and public pools and at resorts.

If it has been a while since you last went for a swim or if you have never been swimming before, it is a good idea to join a beginner's swim class or work with a private instructor to make sure that you have the basics down. I am going to start swimming this summer, but I haven't been swimming since middle school. So I put an ad on craigslist for an instructor and I recieved quite a few responses from reasonably priced instructors. Now, I just need to pick one and get started! Who wants to join me?