Anyone can work out in the pool. Really, anyone.

Georgia Braxton knows that. She teaches H2O Extreme classes at the Georgia Tech recreation center. Her students include young and old, women and men, fit and getting fit.

One student is pregnant. Another is scheduled to have the first of two knee-replacement operations in three months.

What’s remarkable, though, is Georgia herself. Not just because of her dress size, which has gone from a 10 to a 4. Or that she runs marathons when not leading classes or working as an administrative assistant for the Student Government Association. Or even that she’s soft-spoken when not shouting out the count. The main reason is that Georgia can’t swim.

“My friend Mercedes Saghini encouraged me to start doing water workouts,” Georgia says. “She tried for three years, but I wouldn’t do it, because I was so petrified of water.”

A New Routine
Running and teaching step aerobics became tougher on her body. She needed an alternative. So six years ago, despite her fears, Georgia joined a water aerobics class on campus. And she hung on to the side for dear life. Her teacher, Kristy Wentz, encouraged her, allowing her to stay in her comfort zone as long as needed. It took only a week before Georgia became comfortable enough to move away from the wall. Three years later she became certified, and ever since, she has taught several sessions a week.

“It’s a very good workout,” she says. “You really feel good afterward because it totally relaxes your muscles after you finish.”

These workouts involve nonstop motion. Students typically jog in place or from one end of the pool to the other and back, while stretching or pushing against the water.

Two Lanes, No Waiting
The participants create a minor fury as they line up along the wall, holding the sides and kicking. Usually they bob, keeping feet in motion during most of the hour. Near the end, Georgia looks as if she could go another 60 minutes.

Beginners who think it’s simply splashing around discover the truth quickly. “They don’t think it’s an aerobic workout,” Georgia says. “But then I had a girl in a locker room say, ‘Wow, I didn’t think water aerobics was that intense.’ ” Its intensity burns calories without hurting muscles and joints.

For Hands and Feet
Getting started doesn’t take much special equipment. The recreation center provides rubber bands, foam dumbbells, noodles, and webbed rubber gloves. Students must have their own water shoes, which resemble sneakers but provide support and traction while in the pool. Those can be found at sporting-goods stores for around $50.

For Georgia, the water workouts help her stamina in marathons. She has completed eight (so far) since starting in 1999.

Still, the lure of working out in the water remains strong. “I truly love it,” she says. “There’s no fear.”

As for swimming lessons, they didn’t quite work out.

“I tried to learn to swim, but because I’m all muscles, I just sink to the bottom,” Georgia explains.

To find a water aerobics class in your area, check with your local fitness center, community center, or YWCA/YMCA.

Healthy Benefits
• Working out in the water burns up to 500 calories an hour.
• Buoyancy makes for less wear and tear on joints and muscles.
• Exercising builds stamina and gets the heart rate up.

"Fun and Fitness in the Pool" is from the June 2008 issue of Southern Living.