SEPTEMBER 2012 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 25
Many thanks to my fellow exercise-chart models Nana Quintero (S/V Adverse Conditions), Elizabeth Meadows (S/V Skylark) and Sarah Smith (S/V Cape). The photographers were Jackson Verburg (S/V Apparition) and Annie Nicholls (S/V Gone with the Wind). Also many thanks to Jeannette Deale (S/V Sea Lion) and Gosia Ziolkowski (S/V Aldebaran) for teaching me the exercises, and to my many swim buddies who were constantly suggesting ways to modify the routine to make it even more challenging! For a copy of the water aerobics exercise chart, e-mail Willie Haskins, svliahona@hotmail.com.
JACKSON VERBERG & ANNIE NICHOLLS
—Continued from previous page • Remember to breathe. Okay this sounds silly, but sometimes when you are working hard at a new or strenuous exercise, the tendency is to hold your breath. This can result in a rise in blood pressure, so breathe! Counting out loud is a way to make sure you are breathing, as it’s impossible to talk and hold your breath at the same time. Talking is also a way to ensure you are breathing, but talking can distract you and before you know it you are floating away in the current and wind and bouncing against dolphins, turtles or even whales. • Count your repetitions. As you do more repetitions your endurance increases. Now, you may say, “I’m already spending an hour working out. If I do more repetitions, I’ll be there all day and then I will turn into a prune.” This is true, unless you… • Increase your speed. If you increase the speed with which you do the exercises, you can finish your routine in a reasonable amount of time. As an added benefit, increasing the speed with which you do each exercise makes you stronger. Water provides resistance, and trying to push through the water faster increases that resistance. • Be aware of how each exercise makes your body move. You know the saying: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. So, some exercises will make you go backwards or go forward, some will sink you, and some will send you crashing headfirst into the hard concrete edge of the pool. So be aware of what is happening and hopefully you won’t end up far astern of your boat wondering how to get back. • You may not feel it, but you are sweating. Exercise dehydrates your body. So, when you are done, go back to your boat and drink a big bottle of water. • If it hurts, don’t do it. Some of us have what insurance companies call “pre-existing conditions” such as torn rotator cuffs, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, dementia. (If you have dementia, you have not understood anything I have written, so get someone to explain it to you.) Some of the exercises are great for strengthening the rotator cuff, but if it’s already torn, it will hurt like… well, you know. So, don’t do anything that is going to aggravate a pre-existing condition. You might be able to do the exercise, but do fewer repetitions and slow down to decrease the difficulty of the exercise. If it still hurts, don’t do it. If you are very sore the next day, take a break and take it easier the next time. • Keep moving. If you have had to skip an exercise that the group is doing (assuming the group has not deteriorated and everyone is still doing the same exercise), do something that does not hurt but that keeps your arms and legs moving. • When an exercise gets too easy and increasing the number of repetitions or speed has gotten to a ridiculous level, try modifying it. Lifting your arms out of the water or putting your hands on your head can increase the difficulty level for many of the exercises. Going backwards, too, can make things harder and even work a whole different group of muscles. • Warm up and cool down. Start your routine with stretches and lighter exercises, work up to the harder exercises (usually the ones you hate) and then finish by doing easier ones. (These usually involve a lot of talking and bumping into each other.) • Be safe: work out with a buddy. If you must exercise alone, at least have a “spotter” on the boat check on you periodically. What if you get a leg cramp and you’re alone? What if a killer whale surfaces next to you? You never know. Getting Started What you will need: • A swim noodle (a.k.a. a “woggle” to Brits or a “weenie” to people with dirty minds, and you know who you are) • Two water bottles • Sunscreen to protect you from the lovely Caribbean sun • A hat to protect you from the lovely Caribbean sun • A flotation device if the noodle is not enough for you • Someone to take your picture, because your kids will never believe it until they see it. The Exercises A picture is worth a thousand words and since I’m already up to 2,000 words, at left is a chart of the water aerobics exercises!