It took 24 years, but she went from being a terrible swimmer to a U.S. masters swimmer ranked No. 1 in the 200-meter butterfly in her age group.
That's 82-year-old DeEtte Sauer. She had long struggled with her health, smoking and drinking heavily in her younger years... quitting at age 39... then turning to food so that her weight "blew up to 250 pounds."
But all that changed at age 58.
Sauer decided to start swimming and found a supportive coach. From there, she shed more than 100 pounds and started competing in cross-country swim meets.
She's living proof of defying the typical aging curve, thanks to the power of physical activity.
Physical activity is crucial for whole-body health and quality of life. And not being able to move and/or having pain while moving can keep you sidelined. Seniors who lose mobility have higher rates of disease, hospitalization, and death compared with the still-ambulatory folks.
But there's one way to be physically active even if you suffer from mobility issues...
That's exercising in the water.
Its buoyancy naturally supports your weight. In fact, wading in waist-deep water halves your body weight. Water up to your neck? That reduces roughly 90% of your weight. So water exercise is gentle on your joints, bones, and muscles – even folks weighed down by mobility or joint problems can move with more ease.
At the same time, water challenges you by adding resistance. That bit of challenge to every movement you make gets your heart pumping, strengthens your muscular strength and endurance, and even improves lung function in people with asthma.
And for yet another bonus, water workouts relieve pain and swelling...
A 2023 review of existing studies on aquatic therapy's effectiveness for fibromyalgia, a disorder with chronic pain and fatigue, found that the exercise improved pain as well as sleep quality.
The gentle all-over pressure from exercising in the water will be your new favorite massage therapist. Exercising in water improves swelling in joints and limbs from fluid buildup in the tissues, or edema. It also can help relieve lymphedema, a similar condition with lymph-fluid buildup due to logjams in your lymphatic system. (Read more about your body's waste-processing system here.)
A small 2021 study of 50 postmastectomy breast-cancer survivors with lymphedema found that the women who exercised in water (three hourlong aquatic therapy sessions per week) saw significantly improved swelling, less pain, and could move their arms and shoulders better than the women who exercised on land.
Men, too, stand to benefit from channeling their inner mermaid...
An April 2025 randomized controlled trial of 45 healthy elderly men had half of the participants do hourlong aquatic training, three times a week, gradually increasing the training load.
After three months, compared with the other half who didn't do the exercises, the mermen group significantly improved their upper- and lower-body muscular strength and flexibility, as well as balance.
Keep in mind, though, that the weight-supportive water won't help increase bone density. That's an important consideration for postmenopausal women who are at higher risk of decreased bone density and increased fractures.
So if you fall in love with getting your cardio in the surf rather than on the turf, slip in some strength training in the gym after hopping out of the pool. That's because a bit of physical stress on your bones triggers bone remodeling and slows bone loss. By adding in strength training, you'll gain more muscle, better balance, and stronger bones, all of which will protect you from falls.
Ready to dive in? Then it's time to find a pool... Try your local gym, YMCA, or community center. Some of these places will have classes specifically for seniors. Your local department of recreation and parks might also offer water-fitness programs.
Once you've found your watering hole, join a class. Or if you're flying solo, turn to YouTube and check out some of the workouts featured in the many water-aerobics videos on the site. Here are a few simple moves for once you're in the pool:
- Channel your inner Radio City Rockette... Hold the edge of the pool with one hand for support as you do some high kicks. Mix it up with some marching in place. Or if you have wanderlust, go for a walk (or jog) across a relatively shallow area where your feet touch the ground.
- Channel your inner Michael Phelps... Hold the edge of the pool (or a foam board, or kickboard) for support and just kick away to your heart's content. These flutter kicks work out your legs and lower abdominal muscles.
- Channel your inner bodybuilder and pump some foam... Build your biceps with some arm curls using aquatic or water dumbbells. These colorful, cartoonishly large dumbbells weigh almost nothing because they're made of foam. Amazon or Walmart has them for less than $10. Or cut up an old pool noodle from the grandkids.
You can also strengthen your upper body by just holding on to the edge of the pool, arms spread wide apart. Then start pushing away from and back to the wall, as if you're doing pushups while standing.
Oh, and whether you're traveling for business or pleasure, do what I do... Pack your swim trunks or swimsuit.
Swimming is a fun change from hitting the bike, treadmill, or elliptical at the hotel gym. As a bonus, the warmth will dilate your blood vessels if the pool happens to be heated. Improved blood flow promotes faster healing of any injuries and soothes muscle aches and pains.
Whether it's heart-pumping water aerobics or simply reliving your childhood by happily doggy-paddling around, try taking your workout to the water this summer.
In my past Retirement Millionaire newsletters, I regularly explain how to turn your twilight years into your golden years through physical activity. If you don't have a subscription, you can try a 30-day trial to take a look, risk free.
What We're Reading...
- Something different: The deadly consequences of a nice, warm bath.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
August 5, 2025