MAKE A SPLASH—WATER WORKOUTS ARE FOR NEARLY EVERYONE
During winter I regularly visit the Ventura YMCA indoor pool to get in my swimming laps in training for triathlons later in the year. To me, a poor swimmer anyway, going back and forth from one end of the pool to the other is slow and boring. However, next to the lap pool is the Therapy Pool. Here, there’s often an aqua class happening with some 30 plus persons—mostly seniors—having a high old time. These folks are actually enjoying getting their water exercise! In talking with different people after the classes, I found that these sessions can attract persons who have osteoarthritis, diabetes, or heart disease or are just overweight. And this is often the only exercise they’re getting—most are not even regularly walking any distance.
Here’s more information from the July 7, 2015 Mayo Clinic article Aquatic exercise: Gentle on your bones, joints and muscles
“Done correctly, aqua workouts can give you gains similar to those on land, including aerobic fitness, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and better balance. Darcy Reber, D.N.P., family medicine provider at Mayo Clinic Health System in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, recommends aquatic exercise because:
- Water’s buoyancy supports your weight. When you’re submersed up to your neck, the water cancels out about 90 percent of your body weight, significantly reducing stress on your weight-bearing joints, bones and muscles. Instead of landing on a hard surface with the impact of your full weight, you land with only 10 percent of your bodyweight. This reduces risk of injury.
- When you’re submerged, your circulation may increase, improving your cardiovascular health.
- The pressure of the water on your body can reduce swelling if you have painful injuries.
- Water offers resistance, which strengthens your muscles as you push against it.
- Since the effects of gravity diminish in water, you can do stretching exercises that you may not be able to do on land.
You may want to start with water walking. In water that’s about waist-high, walk across the pool swinging your arms like you do when walking on land. Avoid walking on your tiptoes, and keep your back straight. Tighten your abdominal muscles to avoid leaning too far forward or to the side.
To increase resistance as your hands and arms move through the water, wear hand webs or other resistance devices. Water shoes can help you maintain traction on the bottom of the pool.
Once you’re comfortable walking waist-high, try walking in deeper water. As you walk, swing your arms. For a more intense workout, consider jogging in deep water.
Aqua workouts can help you reach your fitness goals without pain or injury. They can add cross-training variety to your existing exercise routine or offer a safe and fun way to start an exercise program.”
To this I’ll add: Once you feel comfortable in the pool you may want to join in the fun of working out with others and join an aquatic group fitness class. Many pools have aqua aerobics classes plus some offer Aqua Yoga or Aqua Zumba or even Aqua Cycling (with stationary bikes in the shallow end of the pool). You’ll probably want to take a class at least twice a week to improve your overall fitness.
Come on—jump in! The water’s great!