Body hurt? Might be time to hit the pool

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Five days a week, for an hour a day - just over the summer months, a few very dedicated women grab their swimsuits and head to the Flandreau Aquatic Center.
If they don’t, they know their bodies pay for it.
Water aerobics is a class offered at the city pool in Flandreau each summer. The class is open to all - men, women, young and old. Only a few though typically take advantage of it.
They want to spread the word that it’s some of the best and most rewarding exercise that you can get, so…you should come too.
“I’ve had joint replacement,” said LeAnn Knippling. “They say to do these exercises, but I hate being on stationary equipment. This is way…way more fun. This is my physical therapy.”
Knippling is one of many that come back year after year, knowing how much better they feel and how much more mobility they have after the class.

“It’s fun!” echoed Debbie Quick. “We’ve got a great instructor. I’m always tired afterwards but it’s tough and it’s a great way to exercise. Last year, the football team even came in and they were sore the next day. You use muscles that you haven’t used in a long time.”
Anna Duncan has come every year for the class since the outdoor aquatic center opened in Flandreau. She doesn’t miss a day if she can, and wishes there were an indoor place for the broader community to use and reap the benefits of in the off-season.
If it’s been awhile that you swam or were in the local pool, the class is held in a more shallow area where you do not need to know how to swim — Duncan and the other participants want to be sure anyone that might consider coming, knows that fact. Duncan herself, in fact, points out that she doesn’t know how to swim either. Another participant who comes on occasion wears a lifejacket for reassurance, and lifeguard and instructor Brooklyn Hiniker is usually in the water with the group each session.
“One..two..three..four..five..bend your knees and relax..,” Hiniker said, guiding the class through stretches at the end of a recent session.
“I had a doctor say, this is the best thing in the world. Get into the water. It’s why I have movement which I ordinarily wouldn’t have after having knee surgery,” said Duncan.
“It’s really beneficial for the whole body,” Hiniker added.
Libby Heinemann, also in for class this day, added, “Water aerobics is the best non weight bearing exercise. And it’s in one beautiful pool so why not take advantage of it!”
Water aerobics at the Flandreau Aquatic Center runs from 10-11 a.m. each weekday. Beginning August 8th, classes will be held at both 10-11 a.m. and again from 5-6 p.m. until the pool closes for the season on August 17. Those same hours, the pool is available for adult-only lap swim.