Independent
Articles About:
1. Aquatic Fitness
2. Water Aerobics
3. Exercise & Arthritis
Aquatic Fitness the Move to Water Exercise
By Milton Velinsky At the Canyon Ranch Health Resort in Tucson,
Ariz., guests find healing in the water. The resort's 11,000- square-foot
Aquatic Center features three Watsu pools, a cross-training pool with conditioning
equipment, two aquatic therapy pools and a whirlpool. There is also a complete
Water Workout Station and it is making a big splash with guests.
"Water is the wave of the future," said Karma Kientzler, an aquatic
therapy expert and outside consultant for Canyon Ranch in Tucson. "People
are using their bones and joints to such excess that water will become the
means for most people to stay healthy. It is a means to life enhancement
and enrichment, especially in a spa and health care environment."
The Aquatrend, a scientifically designed piece of stainless steel equipment,
was installed at Canyon Ranch about 10 years ago to help take the "work"
out of workouts, Kientzler said. It makes working out a pleasurable experience,
especially for those suffering from arthritis, knee and hip replacement
or sports injury recovery. The power of water has become an integral part
of spa relaxation and rejuvenation -- it's a healer, a stress reducer, and
an amenity that everyone can enjoy regardless of age or physical condition,"
she said.
For the physically challenged or non-swimmer, water exercise is safe because
there is always something nearby to hold onto. On the flip side, those who
are more fit or who are interested in the resistance benefits from 'Aquacise'
or aqua therapy can use a water workout station to work isolated body areas
to lose weight and inches, and to facilitate aerobic and anaerobic training.
It provides the basic exercise everyone needs to strengthen cardiovascular
and respiratory systems while building strength and endurance.
'The Value of Aquatic Exercise'
According to the Aquatic Exercise Association, Aquatic fitness is defined
as activities performed in the water that promote and enhance physical and
mental fitness. Aquatic fitness is typically performed in a vertical position
in shallow or deep water. There are numerous applications to appeal to a
wide variety of participants.
Here's how it works . . . and why it works. Water buffers the body from
gravity and makes a person virtually weightless when they are totally submerged.
When a person's head is out of the water, he or she weighs approximately
10 percent of normal body weight. Therefore, exercising in the water offers
protective cushioning that land-based exercise cannot.
Researchers tell us that exercise injuries are usually related to impact.
Every time a person's foot comes in contact with the floor, impact occurs.
Because a person weighs so much less in the water, the impact on the body
is reduced. Water has the same advantages to toning as it does in cushioning.
In order to get muscles in shape or "toned," a person has to work
against something. On land, a person fights gravity, but water limits the
effect of gravity on the body.
Aquatics: 'Hard to Resist'
Mike Jandzen, Aquatics Director at the Sea Colony Resort in Bethany Beach,
Delaware, who is responsible for managing water fitness programs at the
property's 12 pools and fitness center, said hardcore athletes are drawn
to exercising in a gym because they prefer a more gravitational type of
resistance for muscle toning and strength training. However, Jandzen said
he is seeing more and more interest in the property's aquatics programs,
such as water aerobics and water exercise, because they can be enjoyed by
young and old alike and offer cardiovascular conditioning, strength training
and muscle toning while greatly reducing the impact on muscles and joints.
"Over the past several years we've seen aquatics becoming the exercise
vehicle of choice," he said. "We've had a water exercise unit
in our aqua therapy pool for many years, and it's constantly in use. Our
senior guests enjoy it for therapy as well as for strength training and
muscle toning. The water aspect makes it low impact. It's easy to use, easy
on joints and easy on muscles because buoyancy relieves the demands placed
on all body parts."
Every time a person gets into the pool, he or she is losing weight from
the resistance that water provides, noting that the resistance of water
is 12 times that of air. When exercising in water, the body still creates
extra heat because muscles are being used. However, the body has a much
easier time transferring your exercise heat to the water than it does to
the air. The result is a workout that immediately feels refreshing and cool,
and not hot and soggy from sweat.
A quality Water Workout Station provides Body Sculpting exercises, including
standing squats, lateral pull ups, hanging leg pulleys, closed-grip pull
ups, forward dips, single knee extensions/curls, leg diamonds, abdominal
press, reverse abdominal and straight abdominal curl. Cardio Circuits provide
13 exercises, including: squat and lift, reverse lunge, chin ups, cardio-sprint,
single bicep curls, body swings, cardio bobbing jumping jacks, single knee
tucks, seat push ups, cardio-seated bicycle, oblique reach, reverse leg
pull-downs and cardio-seated bicycle. There is also a Power Circuit, which
incorporates aerobic and muscular conditioning, including: lat pull up/body
swing combo, closed grip pull-up/reverse curl combo, cardio hurdles, reverse
dip abductor/adductor cross combo, hanging curl-skate kick combo, cardio-cross
country ski, body pike push-up combo, cardio seat down sprinting, straight
curl-alternating elbow and cardio - seat down leg flurries.
Running for Beginners: The Benefits of Water Aerobic Exercise
By Kely Braswell
As beginning runners (or any runners for that matter!), we often tend to stick to the one thing we know: Running.
However, running does give us quite a pounding on our legs! Our joints and muscles are repeatedly shocked throughout the course of a run... And the more intense the run, the more pounding they take!
Cross training a day or two a week can work wonders!
What is cross training, you ask?
It basically means that you "cross over" for a day into another aerobic exercise area, instead of only running, in order to help prevent injury. (Or to recover after an injury!)
Don't get me wrong! Running, as we've stated before, is NUMERO UNO as far as aerobic exercises go! Nothing gets your heart rate going like a good run!
But running does give you a good pounding!
So lots and lots of runners take a day or two a week and cross train.
For cross training, you want to do another activity that elevates your heart rate, but doesn't pound you quite as much as running.
This gives your muscles and joints a rest, while keeping your heart going!
Cross training has some great benefits:
1) Gives joints, bones, and muscles a much needed rest, making them fresher for your next run.
2) Still increases your heart rate, so you still get a good aerobic workout even on the days you don't run.
3) Breaks the routine. (I mean, we love running, but sometimes it's just nice to do something else!)
So, what kinds of cross training are there?
There's riding a bike... But cycling can be expensive!
There are treadmills and elliptical machines at the gym... But the gym can be expensive, too, and one of the reasons we are runners is because we like the price!
Water Running
My recommended cross training activity is water running. It does take a one-time investment in an aqua jogger shoes or gloves (around $15-20) or an aqua jogging vest or belt (a $45-55 cost), but after that, you're good to go!
Just get in the deep water at your nearest pool, and run in the water. (It takes a little getting used to, but it's really very simple. In no time, you'll be water running with the best of 'em!
The health benefit of water running is big!
When you do your water running, your heart rate still gets up there (so you get the aerobic benefit), but your muscles get a rest from the pounding for a day.
So it's a perfect cross-training activity.
And just by doing water running, you're helping yourself prevent injury!
And if you're already injured (Let's hope not! But occasionally it does happen!), water running is perfect for keeping your aerobic fitness up while your injury heals.
So, take some good advice on running for beginners! For all of you who love running and want to keep doing it for years...
... Water aerobic exercise, in the form of water running, is a great way to cross train and save your legs!
You'll be saving some of the miles in your legs for another day!
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Kely Braswell has been a runner for 27 years. He's not the fastest... just an Ordinary Runner. But he stays in shape, and he knows a lot about running!
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Water Exercise for Arthritis Relief - Fun and Effective
By Isabelle Boulay Everybody knows exercise is a significant part of
staying healthy. As anyone with arthritis can tell you, though, when your
joints say no to play, exercise goes from pleasurable and stimulating activity
into a trial of how much pain you can tolerate.
The tendency when suffering from arthritis is to keep your joints as motionless
as possible. The problem is that this leads to weakening of the muscles
and tendons and a stiffening of joints, which makes the pain worse over
time. It is a self-feeding cycle difficult to break out of.
One solution comes in the form of The Arthritis Foundation Aquatics Program,
a warm water exercise program designed by the Arthritis Foundation. Why
warm water exercise? The warmth offered by hot water allows muscles to relax
and intensifies circulation of blood to the joints. In fact, ever since
the discovery of the first hot springs, humans have used the miracle of
warm water baths to fight aching joints.
Besides reducing the pain in your joints, exercising in water permits body
weight to be supported. This makes exercising in water easier, safer and
more relaxing. Not only that, but the resistance that water provides as
your body moves in it helps strengthen muscles
These days, what with spas, health clubs and backyard hot tubs, just about
anyone has access to a pool of hot water to relax in. Not only does this
bring some immediate relief of arthritis symptoms, but it also provides
us with a great environment in which we can exercise.
You should consult your doctor before beginning water exercise. Water exercise
is completely safe for most people, with a few exceptions. If you've have
suffered serious joint damage or replacement surgery you may be among them.
Your doctor will know what's right for you. Also be aware of temperature.
Water between 83 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal for exercise. Anything
over 100 degrees may be relaxing, but can lead to overheating. After you've
gotten the doctor go ahead, it's time to get started.
The Arthritis Foundation Aquatics Program exercises can be found in the
free brochure "Water Exercise: Pools, Spas and Arthritis" from
the Arthritis Foundation. Classes are also offered at local pools nationwide--contact
your local Arthritis Foundation office for information. The classes are
lead by a trained instructor, usually last between 45 minutes to an hour
and are scheduled 2 to 3 times a week.
With a doctor's guidance, whether at a local pool or at home, a water exercise
program is a fun and effective way to combat arthritis and keep joints and
muscles healthy.
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