Aqua Fitness

Summertime provides access to many different types of activites that we wouldn't normally be able to participate in the colder months. Have you thought about that when it comes to your normal fitness routine? You don't have to restrict your fitness regiment to only workouts that can occur inside the gym or fitness studio. The warm weather offers the flexibility of being able to go outside the box for our exercise routines. Why not try a swimming pool?

Exercising in water has so many benefits and extends beyond just the run of the mill lap swimming (which is really good for you, by the way). Swimming (and other aquatic activities, which we'll cover a bit further down in the article) increases strength and flexibility, builds endurance, improves muscular balance, improves and strengthens cardiac health, increases circulation, rehabilitates muscles, and like other forms of physical activity, can assist in maintaining a healthy weight.

Why does exercising in the water do all of this for us?

• Buoyancy allows people to perform exercises that may be too challenging for them to do while on land. 90% of your body is buoyant when in water up to your neck so there isn't as high of an impact on your joints when you land or push off of the floor.
• There is constant resistance when you move through water. Water offers 12-14% more resistance than when you perform bodyweight exercises while on land. Resistance also does not allow for sudden movements, which makes you work harder.
• Water disperses heat so there's less chance of overheating. During these hot summer months, that can be a real concern.
• As silly as this may sound, exercising in water is vastly different than exercising in a gym or at home. A change of pace never hurt anyone and by this time of year, we may be getting a little stale in our workout routine. Changing our enviroment or mode of fitness can be just the thing to re-invigorate us.

As we mentioned earlier, swimming laps in a pool is the activity that most often pops into our mind when thinking of aquatic fitness. This is obviously a great option, but you can even spice up this type of workout by targeting specific muscle groups. Using a kickboard removes the ability to use your upper body to propel yourself through the water, giving you the opportunity to focus on the strength and stamina of your lower body, as well as fine tune your swim kicks. On the flip side, a swim pull buoy removes your lower body from the equation, allowing you to focus on the strength and stamina of your upper body, as well as fine tune your strokes. 

While great options, these are still not your only options for exercising in the pool!

Walking or running while in the pool adds resistance to your traditional walk or run while removing the high impact your joints undergo from hitting the pavement. Water aerobics also adds resistance while removing the high impact of traditional aerobics classes. 

Toning and strength training are also great in the pool. In addition to basic exercises in which the water functions as your resistance, you can purchase pool-centric workout equipment like foam dumbbells, barbells, leg weights, etc. Amazon sells several items at different price points, but all fairly reasonable. Hydro Revolution also sells equipment and bundles for pool use, but they are a little on the pricier side. The upside, however, is that they do sell equipment options that are higher quality than the foam options and equipment that has no foam counterpart.