Relive Your Childhood Mermaid Fantasy and Get Fit at the Same Time!

As a little girl, there's a decent chance you dreamed of being a mermaid. And when Ariel came along? It kind of solidified the dream. Flowing hair, a beautiful tail... and a pretty slammin' core. 

Turns out there's a reason Ariel and her sisters were all in great shape. Fitness experts have recently explained that swimming with a tail would activate your entire core, glutes, and hamstrings far more than our boring, leg-based swims. Plus, you'd get to look graceful and lovely, instead of looking like a flailing mess when an unsuspected wave comes along.

Well, your dreams of living under the sea might just come true. Maybe not living like a mermaid, but at least working out like one!

At Hotel Del Coronado, a resort in San Diego, they've begun offering 45 minute mermaid fitness classes. Sadly, it doesn't involve trying to trick a sea witch or dancing with your crab friend, but it's still pretty awesome.

Everyone dons a sparkly tail made of bathing suit type material and swims to their hearts desire. 

The class includes swimming laps to activate a variety of leg muscles and working arms with beach balls and pool noodles. Not everything stays in the water, a core workout is completed poolside.

Swimming like a mermaid isn't just an excuse to live out your little girl dreams. It really is  a great workout! The tail forces you to move underwater in a completely new way and activates muscles you never knew existed.

Veronica Rohan, the fitness instructor leading classes at the hotel, says the style of swimming forces your whole body to move in unison, which makes it such a uniquely good workout.

The Hotel del Coronado isn't the only place getting in on the under sea action. It's popping up around the country and is pretty popular in Europe, especially Denmark. 

If you can't afford a flight to Denmark, i.e., the home of the O.G. Little Mermaid, just get yourself a tail and hop in the nearest body of water. Fin Fun Mermaid has swimmable tails for sale for kids and adults. You can even get a custom made glitter tale, if you're really serious about your mermaid ambitions.

No matter where you go, you now have an excuse to live the mermaid life you always wanted. It's for your good health! So, pop on a fin, let down your hair and go be "Part of Your World."