Participants plunge into water aerobics offerings

And when she's not staying busy in those pursuits, she hits the water. Year 'round.

Fedders, 73, participates at least twice per week in a water aerobics class called "Aqua Groove" at the Le Mars YMCA facility, located on the former Westmar College campus.

Each class involves a series of movements in the water set to music.

"It's a low- to medium-intensity class," says Angela Loutsch, aquatics director at the Le Mars YMCA. "It's all done in shallow water and it's all set to music from the 1960s and 1970s. You mix dance moves with basic water fitness exercises such as marching in place and the breast stroke freestyle arm movement."

Fedders grabs a couple of light weights and moves them through water, gently forcing her body against the resistance of the "lazy river" current.

"We do sidesteps, some twisting, all sorts of those things," Loutsch says.

"It's relaxing," says Fedders, a water aerobics veteran of five years. "It's so easy on your joints. It really feels like you're not exercising."

Loutsch explains that the water decreases the impact on one's joints while actually providing more of a workout because of the water's natural resistance.

"Research shows that if you maintain the same intensity in the water, you end up getting three times the workout," says Loutsch, who started taking water aerobics instruction while a student at Central College in Pella, Iowa. "If you're in the water working for 15 minutes, it's like a 45-minute workout on land."

A body in motion, she adds, is one that will stay in motion.

"As we age, if we opt for the couch all the time rather than getting some activity, our quality of life will reflect that," Loutsch says.

"I don't feel 73," Fedders hollers as she works against the current in her workout.

The Le Mars YMCA also offers an "Aqua Interval" class that features a medium to fast pace. This class is more geared toward getting the heart pumping. Participants may do sprints or jumping and lunging exercises against the lazy river's current.

Aqua Interval participants opt to proceed at their own pace. If one slows, he or she may move to the inside lane to allow others to pass. Not everyone in the class exercises at the same pace or level.

The Aqua Interval class members are often workers who may have jobs that require them to oversee a cubicle, office or classroom. The class tends to attract a demographic that's a bit younger than the Aqua Groove participants.

"Sometimes water aerobics is thought of as something for women," Loutsch says. "But in this class, we have males and females. We've also had siblings and mother-daughter pairs."

Loutsch's introduction to this fitness program came years ago as she worked to overcome knee problems.

"I took a class at Central and for three weeks we got into cardiovascular endurance issues," she remembers. "We ran and rode bikes and then spent two weeks in the pool. I remember feeling great after the pool workouts and realized I could do those without hurting."

She's been hooked on the water and its benefits ever since. She also switched from actuarial science, as a major, to exercise science.

Along the way, she didn't gain the "freshman 15," as the saying goes.

"I got into this cardiovascular fitness class and lost 15 pounds as a college freshman," she says.