Fitness
Blow Your Workout Out of the Water: Why You Should Try Water Aerobics BY GRACE DOWNEY
The term water aerobics has gotten a bad rep, constantly coming off as an easy exercise performed in the shallow end of the pool. However, water aerobics applies to several different water activities that increase your breathing and heart rate such as swimming laps, treading water or water running. According to Harvard Health Publishing, exercising in water allows your body and joints to move more easily due to the buoyancy of the water and lack of stress on the joints. For those in pain, the lack of stress on the problematic areas decreases the discomfort, while the water resistance allows the muscles to strengthen and can relieve pain in the future. The lack of stress on the joints in no way means these workouts are easy! In fact, the water resistance helps you burn more calories in less time by activating all the body’s muscles to constantly fight against that resistance.
If you can push past the feeling of “I will look silly doing water aerobics,” this form of exercise might quickly become your favorite workout, especially in the Florida heat.
along with a song. There are several other types of classes including aqua yoga, aqua Pilates, ballet barre and even running with underwater treadmills!
What Kinds of Water Exercises Are There?
What Do I Need?
Of course, we all know the regular lap swimming, but there are so many other variations to try. One of the most wellknown water exercises is water aerobics, which typically consists of a wide variety of movements. Very close to water aerobics but slightly more challenging is aqua HIIT, which is a combination of fast-paced, intensive cardio exercises followed by periods of rest. For an extra fun approach, aqua Zumba, much like a regular Zumba class, has an instructor on land who teaches you different choreography to perform
The bare minimum to adding water exercise to your fitness regimen is access to a pool, a bathing suit, sunblock and a great attitude. If you are keeping your head above water and incorporating water aerobics such as walking, running or jumping, that is about all you need. To increase the difficulty or variety of movements, you can purchase a foam float belt, foam dumbbells or water weights. If you are incorporating swimming laps around the pool, buy a silicone or latex swim cap and a pair of goggles. See page 28 for great water gear products, like a float foam belt and foam sandals.
Isn’t Water Aerobics For the Elderly?
While portrayed in movies as mostly an activity for senior citizens, water exercises can be beneficial for everyone! Minor adjustments to the exercises, such as adding foam dumbbells or weights, can increase the difficulty of the workout and meet your physical needs. As mentioned above, the water allows minimal stress to be placed on the joints, making this a great form of exercise for pregnant women, senior citizens and anyone with pain in their joints or back. In addition, water activities can be a great regular physical activity for those diagnosed with diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, water exercises are beneficial activities to battle diabetes complications such as nephropathy, peripheral neuropathy, retinopathy, peripheral vascular disease and osteoporosis (or arthritis).
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WELLNESS360 | JULY/AUGUST 2020
*Always consult your doctor before adding different exercises to your physical activity routine.
