SHOP TALK : Making Waves for Fitness

Too injured or too tired to perform your usual running or walking routine? Consider strapping on AquaJogger, a deep-water exercise belt, and heading for the pool.

Manufactured by an Oregon company, the cushioned $50 belt “keeps you in a vertical position and out of the water from the shoulders up,” said Linda Gosch, a spokeswoman for AquaJogger (information: (800) 922-9544). With the belt, even non-swimmers can work out in deep water.

Exercising in water is easier on the bones, say exercise experts, who often prescribe water routines for injured athletes.

“AquaJogger does offer low-back support for deep-water walking and running programs,” said Lynda Huey , a Santa Monica exercise expert who specializes in water workouts. But she said a similar water workout device--the $125 Wet Vest (info: (800) 433-3627)--is “more versatile.”