By Jackie Wellwood, The Center for Integrated Wellness
Water workouts offer a great opportunity to improve your physical fitness in a gentle, non-impact environment. A warm-water hydrotherapy pool is an ideal location to exercise for anyone with a variety of conditions. From the Olympic-level athlete to the senior citizen who has never exercised in a pool, there are benefits for each end of the spectrum and everyone in between. Water offers a complete and total body workout without the perception of sweating, but don’t let that fool you. Aquatic exercise is a desirable option for improving strength, range of motion, and cardiorespiratory endurance across populations.
Who
Anyone new to exercise can enjoy the ability to move more freely and use less energy than exercise on land. Overweight individuals will notice the feeling of weightlessness in the water as well as less strain on their joints, allowing for longer and more effective exercise sessions. People recovering from surgery or injuries will be able to gradually regain their strength and flexibility by using the water as their exercise modality. Senior citizens will experience increased balance provided by the water while they are working out. Even seasoned athletes will see the advantage of aquatic exercise when dealing with lower back issues or orthopedic and joint limitations.
What
Exercise in the water ranges from a slower-paced fitness class perfect for beginners or people with physical restrictions (Aqua Fit) to an aquatic dance class that raises your heart rate while giving you a cardio workout (Aqua Zumba). Classes that are typically offered on land, such as Pilates, can be adapted to the water as well (Aqua Pilates). Water exercises are designed to maximize the resistance to the body as it moves through the water. You can make the workout easier or more challenging by adjusting the resistance. Pushing against the water faster and harder increases the amount of work for the muscles while pushing slower and easier makes it less work for the muscles. This resistance can be controlled in the water quite easily as each person works at their own level.
Why
Aquatic exercise improves circulation, muscular strength, toning, endurance, and flexibility. There are many benefits to water workouts including the following:
- a warm-water environment promotes relaxation
- develops gross motor skills
- elevates respiration and metabolic rates
- increases circulation and may improve cardiovascular endurance
- improves flexibility
- reduces risk of injury
- increases muscular strength and endurance
- provides relief from painful muscles and joints
- provides a social opportunity to interact with others who share similar wellness challenges
- improves confidence and self-image for people limited in other exercise settings
- provides a feeling of weightlessness, particularly refreshing during pregnancy
- improves range of motion achieved in warm water because of pain reduction
It is not necessary to know how to swim in order to benefit from water workouts. Occasionally there will be contraindications to aquatic exercise. Severe hypertension or hypotension, cardiac conditions, and infectious skin diseases should be discussed with your doctor before embarking on an aquatic exercise experience.
Jackie Wellwood is one of the aquatic instructors at the Center for Integrated Wellness. This new facility brings together multiple health and wellness services into a new 105,000 square foot location to help the Bloomington-Normal community get healthy and stay well. The center opened in August and consists of Advocate BroMenn Health & Fitness Center, METHOD Sports Performance and McLean County Orthopedics. The Center for Integrated Wellness is located at 1111 Trinity Lane in Bloomington, IL and is open seven days a week. Aquatic classes are available morning and evening in the warm water hydrotherapy pool. For more information on classes call 309-433-9355.