AQUA KICKBOX | ****
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTYCan you do yoga, Pilates, cross country skiing, rock climbing? If so, you can do Ann Anthony's Aqua Kickbox. Anthony has her students approximate the movements of all these land-based activities -- plus jumping jacks, tuck-and-side extensions and boxing -- in chest-deep water. Most of the time you touch bottom, so if your swimming skills are somewhat less than Michael Phelps' or Janet Evans' you'll be fine.Not a seasoned athlete? No worries. The water supports your weight with no trauma to the joints. Most anyone can do this class without getting hurt.You'll sweat, but the Biltmore's cool water will make you feel invigorated. The water's natural resistance will maximize your efforts. Some of the frog-type jumps from one end of the pool to the other had this former competitive swimmer winded.FUN FACTORIt sure is a pretty place to take a class. Anthony has an engaging personality, too, so that even when she's admonishing chatty students with a warning -- ''If you're talking, you're not working out!'' -- it still comes across as friendly. Also, the exercises are varied so boredom isn't a factor. Too bad Aqua Kickbox is only once a week, but if it works for you consider it a complement to some of Anthony's other workout classes.TO DO ITBiltmore Fitness Center pool, 1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables; 305-913-3102.When: 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. (Call for schedule of Anthony's other water classes or visit www.biltmorefitness.com).Cost: $16.05.RATING SCALE: Zero (Worthless) to Four Stars (Outstanding)Mariah Carey coos and pleads, ''touch my body,'' in her current No. 1 single of the same name. In case the vocal invitation isn't fetching enough, there's Carey clad in a bikini, erupting out of the ocean, on the cover of last week's People magazine.
Carey credits water aerobics for giving her the kind of body people want to touch.
Ann Anthony, a personal trainer at the Biltmore Fitness Center in the Coral Gables landmark hotel, also touts exercising in the water for its many features. She cites a few:
• ``It's a natural anti-inflammatory and could help with arthritis.
• ``It can help to reduce the appearance of cellulite.''
• ``You can get your heart rate up to 140 beats per minute and burn 400 calories in an hour.''
Anthony conducts a number of water classes -- both private (Aqua Vee: think Pilates in the water) and public (Aqua Bootcamp and Aqua Kickbox) -- at the Biltmore's famed 85-meter pool.
We tried Aqua Kickbox and though observers, spying our bobbing heads on the pool surface, wondered just what was going on below, let me tell you this, gals and guys: Working out in the water is not for wimps. You do get a good workout.
