Mimi Conner’s mother said she was a “fish born out of water” when she had her first swim at just four months old. By the time Conner turned 13, she was teaching children with special needs how to swim.

Seeing these children swimming comfortably made Conner realize that water is for everyone.

“To me, what I saw and what I was trained in with those great instructors as well as my mom was that anybody can be in the water and be trained to move in the water,” she said.

After starting and developing the Medical Center of Plano’s aquatics program, Conner opened Aqua-Fit/Fit 2 Fitness Family Wellness Center in 2008. At Aqua-Fit, clients can take fitness classes, such as yoga and strength training, both in water and on land.

Stretching, jogging, kicking and doing squats underwater is one of the many ways in which Aqua-Fit members explore safer ways to work out, Conner said. Classes range from aqua-aerobics to swimming basics. Conner also teaches advanced swimming lessons in her home pool in the summer.

“Once I get here, once I get in the water, once I start teaching—I know why I am here. I know why Aqua-Fit is here,” she said.

Range of motion can often be restricted for people with arthritis, joint pain or even multiple sclerosis. However, when they enter the water, its buoyancy allows the body to be free of gravity’s limitations, Conner said.

“So when they come here, they are having fun—the water is helping them and they are not in pain, and they have movement and they have friends,” she said. “It’s a win-win situation.”

Adults preparing for surgery or seeking to regain strength during a postsurgery period can take therapeutic swimming classes, in which Conner’s instructors work with each client at their individual comfort level.

After she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997, Conner was told she would not be able to perform the backstroke or other similar movements in the water. However, swimming had been her passion, and she decided to regain her strength and become the expert swimmer she once was. Today, cancer patients and survivors can enroll in Aqua-Fit’s land and water fitness classes, which also double as a support group.

Conner said she considers herself lucky to have fought cancer because her experience has made her a better teacher. It also gave her more patience, which allows her to better anticipate and understand her clients’ needs.

“Because I have walked that journey ... there’s a better understanding. I am more compassionate,” Conner said. “I understand what they are going through, and it is easier for them to accept [it] and work harder themselves because they see hope.”

Cancer patients and survivors can also participate in a free land training program, in which the instructor designs a plan tailored toward their specific individual needs. Conner said the program’s major focus is to let people know that they should never work through pain.

Aqua-Fit instructor Linda Frink learned how to swim as an adult and said she knows how frightening it can be to learn how to swim later in life. Frink said explaining the reasoning behind each swim stroke helps adults feel more at ease so they can excel with each class.

“It’s a different mindset. Children copy what we do and they learn quickly,” she said.