One day at the gym, she stumbled upon a group of people using the pool. They were running in place and pivoting in chest-deep water, and the instructor sounded more like a drill sergeant than a water aerobics teacher. Ms. López began taking water exercise classes and found that running in deep water helped her develop more upper body strength than running on land. Now 68, she’s incorporated pool exercises into her workout routine ever since. In addition, “it’s 360 degrees of resistance in every direction,” said Laurie Denomme, a fitness instructor from Bradenton, Fla., who has been teaching aquatic exercise for 30 years.

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Persons: Kelly Amerson López, “, ”, López, she’s, Laurie Denomme Locations: Central Park, Bradenton, Fla