The Therapeutic Power of Water Exercise

from Poolcenter.com

Pool Exercises and Water Workouts

Aquatic exercise is sweeping the nation as one of the best ways to strengthen your body and lose weight! Exercising in water gives you a greater range of motion to maximize your muscle toning results!

The muscles through your whole body get a more intense workout due to water's natural resistance; 12 times the resistance of air!

The low-impact effect of water fitness puts very little strain on the bones and joints while allowing you to use water's natural resistance to strengthen your muscles. This makes water aerobics an ideal activity for anyone going through physical therapy, those with joint injuries, pregnant women. Great for active, older persons.

The AquaJogger Fitness System provides the perfect equipment to make your pool workouts more effective! Pool Noodles are also used for a number of easy pool fitness exercises.

AquaJogger belt keeps your body suspended in the water allowing you to freely perform water exercises. You will want to maintain good posture during your workouts and the AquaJogger will help you do just that!

DeltaBells maximize by providing extra resistance to strengthen and tone your upper body. Triangular design adjusts water resistance so you can comfortably tone your muscles at your own pace.

AquaRunners footwear tones and strengthens your lower body by adding extra resistance to your feet. Resistance footwear increases your cardio workout. Feel the burn!

AquaJogger Water Workout

There are so many great pool workouts you can do with the Aqua Jogger system! Here's a collection of some of my favorite water exercises to do with the AquaJogger water fitness gear.

Water Running and Walking

The most common of pool exercises is simply Water Running and Walking. The AquaJogger belt helps keep your body elevated in the water and supports your back. This gives you optimal posture and range to run in place in your pool. The extra resistance of the water will make running much more intense than if you were to run outside of the pool. It's amazing how much you can boost your cardio workout with just water! Amp-up your water jogging workout by wearing the AquaRunner footwear!

Cross Country Ski Water Workout

One of the most powerful aquatic exercises is the Cross Country Ski. This exercise utilizes heavy resistance, which works all of the major muscles in the body. This pool exercise, done often, will help you lose weight, tone muscle and increase flexibility. To begin, extend your left leg forward and your right leg behind you. Your right arm should be extended forward and your left arm behind you. Begin alternating your legs and arms to the front and back. For additional resistance in your arms and legs, you can utilize the DeltaBells and the AquaRunners.

Tires - Leg Water Workout

Tone and strengthen your legs with the Tires exercise; a move that imitates doing drills of hopping through tires in a boot camp. Keep your posture straight and your arms horizontal. Then, with your legs turned out and feet out, alternate pushing down with each leg and quickly pulling your leg back up.

The AquaRunner footwear will amplify your workout by making it harder for you to push and pull your legs. They can add a whole new level to your lower body work out and keep your legs in great shape!

Breast Stroke Arms Water Workout

The power of water's natural resistance can keep your upper body working hard as you push and pull your arms through the water. A great exercise to work those shoulder and chest muscles is the Breast Stroke Arms water routine. With the use of the foam DeltaBells, you can create extra resistance while moving your arms through the water. Hold the DeltaBells out in front of your body, extending your arms all the way out. Keep your elbows straight. Sweep your arms out to your sides. You will feel the resistance of the water. Return your arms back in front of you and repeat.

Bicep Curls Exercise

Feel the burn in your arms by utilizing the DeltaBells to do Curls. DeltaBells provide the perfect amount of resistance you need to tone your arms. Their triangular shape is designed so that you can control how much resistance you are comfortable with. To do a proper set of curls, keep your elbows bent and your upper arms held straight down at your sides. Alternate pulling the weights down into the water and lifting them back up. You can choose to grip the weights palm up or palm down.

Jack Knife Abs Workout

Assume a comfortable reclined position with your feet at the surface of the water. Keep your legs straight. Using your abdominal muscles, curl forward to your knees. Recline back and repeat the process. You can keep your arms extended in front of you or keep them held at your chest. Hold the DeltaBells for added resistance.The AquaJogger allows you to stay suspended in the water so you can perform more beneficial workouts. Try wearing the AquaJogger to do the Jack Knife abs workout. With the posture and range that the AquaJogger gives you, you can get an amazing abs workout!

Pool Noodle Water Workout

The old pool noodle has multiple uses, one of which is to provide floatation and stability during water workouts. Here's a small sample of just a few exercises you can do with a pool noodle.

PLANK:

Lay out flat in the water, with your toes hooked onto a ladder tread or safety rope. Extend your body fully, stretching your legs and arms in opposit directions. While lifting your head out of water with a deep breath, push down on the noodle, while keeping your body straight (like a plank of wood). Hold the position, and exhale as your allow the noodle to float up again.

CRANE:

Hold your pool noodle with arms shoulder width apart, while standing in chest deep water. take a deep breath and push the pool noodle beneath the water while keeping locked arms. Lift one leg straight back behind you, keeping your knee locked. Exhale as you relax your arms and lift your head, bringing your leg back to the starting position. Repeat for the opposite leg.

KNEE RAISES:

Hold onto the pool noodle with both hands, with your elbows resting comfortably. Take a deep breath and raise your knees up to the chest. Hold the pose, and slowly exhale as you bring your legs vertical again. Twisting your legs will add a workout to the obliques.

KNEE DRIVES:

Wrap the noodle around your back with your elbows resting on the noodle and your hands gripping each end. Lean forward with a running motion and drive your knees toward the surface. Alternate between fast, low drives and longer, slower high drives.

The next time you think about joining a gym or spending a fortune on tons of fitness equipment, just think about all of the great muscle building workouts you can do in your own pool with three basic pieces of water exercise equipment or just a Pool Noodle! Melt that fat away and tone those muscles in the comfort of your swimming pool!

Get the most out of your pool this year and imagine the near future – a slimmer, stronger you!

10 Reasons to Start Swimming Now!

from popsugar

Speed up the process to that Summer tan and bikini body by jumping into the pool. Yes, the treadmill is fun, and so are those dumbbells, but they only offer a portion of what a swim workout does. From toning your core to speeding up your metabolism, there are several reasons why you should consider swimming your new go-to. Grab a suit and find out the 10 reasons why you should start swimming!

1. It's a total-body workout: Swimming tackles everything from sculpting your back to toning your arms — all without having to pick up a weight. Rather than needing a plan to work specific muscles, all four strokes work to strengthen your entire body.
2. It's joint-friendly: If you're recovering from an injury and are eager to build strength, then look into starting a swimming routine to stay fit. If running is your passion, then swimming is a great way to work out on recovery days, allowing knees a rest from the pavement.
3. It's muscle-lengthening: If you're worried about bulking up (which you shouldn't be), then consider swimming. Swimming combines resistance training with cardio, building lean muscle and boosting your metabolism. It also puts your body through a range of movements, helping your muscles stay long and flexible.
4. It's helpful with exercise-induced asthma: Many swimmers first jump into the pool to relieve exercise-induced asthma. This is because swimming allows you to work out in moist air, reducing asthma symptoms. Because swimming requires some breath control, it also improves your overall lung and breathing capacity.
5. Keep reading for more reasons to jump into the pool!
6. It doesn't require fancy equipment: That's right; you don't need to spend hundreds of dollars to swim. All you need is a swimsuit, cap, and goggles. Even if you do decide to add more equipment (e.g. a kickboard), they are rather inexpensive, and chances are your local pool has a few handy.
7. It's a great way to burn calories: Those myths about swimmers and calorie intake aren't false. That's because one hour of moderate swimming can burn around 500 calories. This revs up your metabolism, continuing the burn well after you've stepped off the deck.
8. There are several variations: The workouts are endless when it comes to the pool. Beyond all four strokes, you can kick, pull, or even use the wall for push-ups! Grab a friend and try this interval workout.
9. It's optimal for cross-training: Avoid elliptical burnout and a gym-class rut by trading gym workouts for the pool. A swim workout will actually improve overall performance at the gym (and vice versa!) When you're training for a marathon or any other competition, jumping in the pool can offer you an extra edge over your competitors.
10. It maximizes your cardio: Swimming is the ultimate aerobic activity. There is more breath control compared to running, thus an increased demand for oxygen, causing your muscles to work harder. Because of this, you can get more bang for you buck in a short amount of time.
11. It's refreshing: Jumping into a pool is refreshing! You don't need to be a professional swimmer to reap the benefits. Have fun with it, and enjoy being in the water. If anything, you'll walk away with a nice tan and an endorphin kick!

Arthritis sufferers see big benefits from water aerobics

LA CANADA-FLINTRIDGE, Calif - Massoud Mofid has been taking this water workout class for 15 years to help his osteoarthritis.

Now new research from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health shows that certain types of exercise may help knee osteoarthritis more than others.

The Arthritis Foundation sponsors programs like this one all across the country for thousands of people coping with arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a joint disease that is the number one cause of disability in the U.S. Doctors say sticking to an exercise program is key to relieving pain and improving mobility.

Longtime osteoarthritis sufferer Kit McCormick agrees working out in the pool helps her stay active.

Proving the right, consistent exercise program can make all the difference.

According to the CDC, approximately 1 in 2 people may develop knee osteoarthritis in their lifetime.

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Water exercise boosts endurance in COPD

Water workouts may be the best type of exercise for people with chronic lung disease and other health problems, according to a small study.

Australian researchers found that exercising in a pool boosted physical endurance and energy levels in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and physical comorbidities such as obesity or back pain.

What the study found

"Participants in the water-based exercise training group reported an improvement in many functional aspects of their daily life such as improved stamina and ability to complete tasks such as walking long distances when shopping," said Renae McNamara, a physical therapist at The Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick.

How to bring exercise to the backyard: The benefits of buoyancy

Water's buoyancy lessens the effects of gravity on your body. In essence, your weight is reduced when you are in water. Depending on how deeply you are immersed in water, you can significantly reduce the amount of weight your body bears. When waist-deep in water, your body only has to handle approximately 50 per cent of your body's mass weight; in neck-deep water, only 10 per cent.

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There are multiple ways you can get a great workout while keeping cool in the swimming pool. As the summer months approach and temperatures rise, exercise in the pool is the perfect way to avoid overheating. Follow these tips for an easy way to get a quick workout in while enjoying the pool.

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Although spring has not started, summer is just around the corner. And as the needle on the thermometer creeps up, it means a lot of children, teenagers and adults will be making a beeline for the area's swimming pools.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the sixth leading cause of accidental injury death for all ages, and the second leading cause of death in children ages 1 to 14. Knowing how to stay safe around a swimming pool is crucial because one slip or wrong turn could mean injury or even death if children do not know how to save themselves in the water.

click here to ready about the 5 tips

Water Walking for Fast Fitness

There's good reason why walking is one of the most recommended forms of exercise. It's an easy, safe and effective way to increase aerobic fitness, endurance and muscle strength, one that requires no equipment and can be done almost anywhere ... including the backyard pool.

In fact, walking in the water may be more effective than a similar trek on land. All factors being equal, walking one mile in the water provides a workout similar to walking two miles on land, burning up to twice the calories in the same amount of time. And the body's buoyancy in water reduces impact on joints and provides a lower risk of injury.

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Head-up Freestyle in Water Polo

The most obvious difference between swimming and water polo is the presence of a ball. In order to efficiently move the ball from one end of the pool to the other, swimmers need to learn to swim freestyle with their head up. Head-up freestyle swimming is important to the game of water polo for a number of reasons:

* It allows the player to keep his eye on the ball at all times.

* It gives the player control over where the ball goes.

* It keeps the player aware of the playing environment.

* It allows for communication with other teammates.

click here to learn more about head-up freestyle swimming