You've heard about the health and fitness benefits of swimming, but what if you could also jump into the pool for an aerobic workout? Walking in water or treading water for several minutes at a time are great ways to build stamina and endurance; aquatic exercises actually help to burn lots of calories without over-stressing your muscles.

If you never feel like you have enough energy to work out, you may be a strong candidate for a water-based routine. Here are some of the top health and fitness benefits of walking in water:

1. Water walking helps slow down the aging process. The cleansing effects of being in water and getting a workout by doing continuous aerobic activities can have many benefits on your skin. You can release toxins from inside out and may even slow down the aging process as a result.

2. Resistance training is much easier in water. If you're stuck in a fitness rut, you can dive into the pool for a much-needed resistance workout. Aquatic workouts use the weight of the water as resistance, which means your muscles have to work nearly twice as hard to perform each movement. Plus, you won't 'feel' this workout like you would with a weight training routine at the gym.

3. Improved muscle tone within weeks. The invigorating routines used in water aerobics will revive untoned muscles and help you get stronger within a few short weeks. Just make sure you're consistent with the workouts to make the most of each session.

4. Better sleep. Water exercises will increase your heart rate and make you stronger and leaner; the intensive workouts will also help to release stress and reinvigorate your mind and body. This leads to better sleep, so you can start looking forward to a good night's rest.

5. Improved well-being. If you stick with a healthy diet, drink an adequate amount of water each day and keep up with a consistent routine, you'll start to look and feel better in a very short period of time. A balanced diet, staying well-hydrated and getting regular exercise is essential for your health and a positive state of mind.

When it's time to hit the gym, most of us are in a serious time crunch. If your idea of a gym workout involves walking on the treadmill, riding the stationary bike or just doing laps around the track, you could be wasting your time. Sweating up a storm with basic cardio feels good in the moment, but you won't be doing your muscles any favors with that routine.

The best way to maximize your time is to do resistance training; you can burn up to four times as many calories by adding weights to your routine in the form of power squats, lunges and other weight-bearing sequences. Here are a few ideas to ramp up your usual cardio routine and blast off extra calories in no time:

1. Wear ankle weights. If you insist on strapping on those running shoes and doing laps around the track, bump up the resistance by wearing some ankle weights. These will make your usual jog that much more challenging and will give your lower legs a serious workout.

2. Play with resistance bands. Resistance bands use your own weight for resistance and help you strengthen and tone up muscles in a flash. You can do simple lunges, squats and pull ups with a set of bands by your side; they're perfect for that midday training session at the office or anytime you need to squeeze some training into your day.

3. Wear weighted hand gloves. Can't get away from the treadmill or elliptical machine? Pull on a pair of weighted hand gloves that add some resistance to your lower arms and help you tone up.

4. Do your crunches with a medicine ball. A 5 lb. medicine ball is all you need to add some power to your crunches. Just hold the ball with both hands above your head as you perform your oblique twists and ab crunches on the yoga mat. You'll feel the burn much faster and may finally see some results from your hard work.

5. Jump into the pool. Those ladies in the water aerobics class know a thing or two about resistance training. Performing simple walking or stretching routines in the water is a great way to burn calories and get those muscles in great shape.