A half-hour of freestyle swimming, according to the Just Swim website, burns about 300 calories, making it an excellent addition to a fitness regimen. But most backyard pools — rectangular shaped or, worse, oval — are ill-suited for laps, owing to their geometric limitations. The frequency of turns inhibits the heart rate from reaching its optimum level. A better, healthier option is the home exercise pool.

Spring Dance Hot Tubs, Inc., of Jamison — a Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce member — is a local installer.

These swim spas (also called lap pools) provide a steady flow of water against which a user kicks and strokes. The generator that creates the current is adjustable, much in the same way as a treadmill, to increase or decrease the effort.

They easily accommodate a variety of swimming styles, including breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly (the biggest calorie-burn of all).

Users include athletes across a wide spectrum of sports. But lap pools are also becoming a popular piece of rehab equipment, especially in its low-impact workout capability.

Other upsides include:

• Use as an everyday pool. The current generator can be turned off, returning the pool to its role as simply a place to cool off
• Small footprint. Home exercise pools don’t take up as much space as their full-sized counterparts. They can be ideal for properties with small yards
• Family friendliness. The small size and relatively shallow depth (just over three feet) make lap pools ideal for young children under parental supervision
• Year-round usage. Pools can be installed indoors

More information on a home exercise pool can be found on the Spring Dance Hot Tubs listing of the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce website.