Want a new and creative way to get fit? How about trying Aqua Jogging?

31 May Want a new and creative way to get fit? How about trying Aqua Jogging?

Aqua jog your way to fitness

from New Zealand’s Wilderness Magazine

Aqua jogging has become so popular most pools now have a lane dedicated to it.

It helps to stretch and exercise the muscles in your legs without causing undue stress to your joints.

Try to use a lap pool with chest deep water. If the water is above head height you’ll need a floatation device like a foam belt which goes around the waist.

The correct aqua jogging technique is very similar to running with a high knee action. Try to keep your knees up so the thigh is horizontal.

Keep your back straight, head up, hips forward and use your arms to maintain a constant cadence. Don’t worry if you aren’t moving forward very fast, it should almost feel like running on the spot.

Warm-up gently over 10-minutes and then increase the intensity until you are exercising at a rate you can confidently maintain for at least 45-minutes.

Aqua jogging is said to be similar to exercising in conditions of weightlessness. There is a lack of resistance in the pool so there is a tendency to stay in the water and simply rotate your legs.

You have to make a conscious effort to move your legs fast to get your heart and lungs working.

It’s sometimes hard to determine how hard you are exercising in the pool so a heart rate monitor is a useful tool. A good aerobic training rate is between 110 and 130 beeps per minute.

Like any aerobic exercise, in the last 10-minutes of your training you should warm-down by decreasing the intensity. Once out of the pool, you should lightly stretch all your muscles.

This training session could be a replacement for a long run or walk and because it is such low impact, it’s possible to do it for a much longer period.