Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Exercise In Water

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Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Exercise In Water

By Mark Grevelding - Aquatic Exercise Association

Aquatic fitness has come out of the shadows and is drawing fans of all shapes,

sizes and

ages. Men, women and children are diving in and discovering fluid fun and cool

challenges as they splash their way to a fitter body. Here are ten reasons to

get wet!

#10 – Follow the trend. The boomers are aging and so are their hips and knees.

New

and exciting programming will continue to crop up as innovative aquatic

equipment and

technology develops due to increased demand!

#9 – Provides excellent cross training. If you always do what you always did you

will

always get what you always got! Eventually your body will plateau on an exercise

program if you do not introduce variation, or worse you could make yourself

vulnerable

to overuse injuries. Water offers the perfect solution to cross training. Do you

like to

jog? Try deep water jogging or lap swimming. Do you like to strength train with

weights? Try an aquatic class that uses equipment or webbed gloves. Your body

will

thank you for introducing aquatic fitness into your exercise routine and that

frustrating

plateau will surely wash away!

#8 - Sleep better. One of the first things a new aqua fitness participant

notices is the

incredible night of sleep that awaits them after a vigorous training session in

water.

Exercise in general has been proven to improve sleep patterns. However, aquatic

exercise does even better due to the specific properties of the aquatic

environment and

their impact on the systems of the human body. Improved blood flow, changes in

body

temperature and enhanced muscle conditioning all contribute to an absolutely

delightful

slumber under the sheets!

#7 – You can't do that on land! The unique properties of water allow for

creative and

aggressive fitness programming. Kickboxing in the water lends itself to exciting

kick

adventures because BOTH feet can come off the floor thanks to buoyancy in the

water.

The viscosity of water allows you to push, pull, run, jump, jack and jog much

harder!

Get wet and discover moves you never would have thought possible. A jumping jack

with a tuck and half turn, followed by ski moguls and two more jacks before

letting your

feet even touch the pool bottom? You can't do that in your living room or an

aerobic

studio!

#6 – You get more in one workout. What happened to leisure activities and spare

time?

Most people would agree that there simply aren't enough hours in the day.

Finding time

to exercise is the biggest hindrance to people who want to get in shape. Aquatic

fitness

provides the perfect blend of cardio and muscle conditioning for people who are

pressed

for time. Exercising in the pool is like exercising in a liquid gym. Submerged

in water

you spend the entire exercise session working your muscles in pairs. On land, an

arm

curl would only work the bicep; in water the same arm curl works both the bicep

and

tricep thanks to submerged resistance. Furthermore, increased muscle demand

creates

increased oxygen consumption. Water fitness is an excellent choice for improving

both

cardiovascular health and muscle tone, especially when lack of time is an issue.

#5 - You'll get more out of your core. Core training is all the rage now. In

prehistoric

times we simply referred to it as an ab workout. Fitness equipment manufacturers

keep

supplying the market with expensive core training devices and consumers can't

get

enough. Save yourself some money and get in the water!

#4 – Exercising in water is fun. Let's face it - there are people who just don't

like to

exercise. Common psychology dictates that if you dislike an exercise activity

you will

distract yourself with every excuse you can think of to avoid it. On the other

hand, if you

enjoy a fitness activity you will move heaven and earth to participate in that

planned

exercise session. Exercising in water is FUN! There is something about romping

around

in a pool that makes you feel young and vibrant. If you enjoy a fitness activity

you will

commit to an exercise plan. If you commit to planned exercise sessions over a

period of

time you will change your body, your mind and your life!

#3 – Exercising in water is a good workout. Everyone wants to work hard,

including

seniors! Water provides an excellent opportunity for allowing variations in the

intensity

of a workout. Unlike land fitness, working out in a pool you are surrounded by a

source

of resistance and each individual can decide how hard to push, pull and move

that

resistance during the workout. Water exercise allows people of ALL fitness

levels to

work at a pace that is appropriate for their exercise goals. The more forceful

you push

the harder the workout.

#2 – Reduced joint impact. Unlike today's children, the baby boomers

participated in

lots of sports and spent their childhoods playing outdoors. As they got older

they kept in

shape with running, aerobics, biking and more. Unfortunately, joint impact

issues have

sidelined many boomers from the land fitness activities they once enjoyed.

Doctors are

encouraging water fitness for good reason. The buoyant property of water unloads

joints

and allows for vigorous physical activity with minimal or zero joint impact. For

example, if you are in water that is at chest level you will be bearing only

about 25-35%

of your body weight. If you simply flex at your hips and knees and lower into

the water

at shoulder level you will virtually eliminate impact during fitness activity.

It gets better!

Deep water training is vigorous exercise with zero impact -100% of the time!

#1 – Burn calories and lose weight. Whether you need to slim down or work hard

at

maintaining your weight, exercising in water is a safe and efficient method of

burning

calories. When you work out in a pool you don't have to sweat or suffer through

the

aches and pains of joint impact. The obesity epidemic is a serious problem and

aquatic

fitness is a serious solution. Countless people worldwide have transformed their

bodies

thanks to water exercise. The most un-athletic people suddenly discover their

inner

athlete unleashed in the pool as they learn how to work the water with power and

force.

People who have never exercised a day in their life suddenly get hooked with the

fitness

bug after just a few aquatic fitness classes. Water truly is the essence of

life.