HookedonWaterFitness.com

Category: Water Aerobics

  • Back to…Water Event!

    Back to…Water Event!

    I know, I know, it’s supposed to be “Back to School.” But all parents and grandparents know that when the kids are back at school, the adults have more time for themselves.  Jump on the opportunity! Join a Water Aerobics, Swimming, or Diving class. Get in the water and feel better! And read this for some motivation and ideas.

    While you’re at it, take a look at some back to school products… (Hey, I’m giving you one-stop shopping)  🙂

     

    And this deal is for you and the kids, and so good I just bought one myself:

    I find that while I’m working out, I need a lot of water. Part of it is because I’m teaching, therefore talking a lot, and part of it is because I like drinking water almost as much as being in the water. So, I recommend the 40 oz bottles.

     

    Water Temps

    Something we haven’t talked about are cold pools. Some pools are very cold, including the one I work out in. The YMCAs in my area keep the water at 78 degrees, but the independently owned facility I belong to keeps their water at 81 degrees, so shop around. Hey, every little degree counts, especially if you’re cold-natured like I am. And it’s not limited to the winter months either. You add on air conditioning, and it can get cold even in the summer. I often laugh going into my facility because when it’s above 90 degrees outside, I’m wearing more clothes in the water than when I’m walking into the facility. 

    Either way, for this problem I recommend wetsuit jackets, like the one pictured here. 3ml are the warmest, and you want to be sure to order by your measurements, not your normal size. These jackets are made all over the world, and they don’t adjust to U.S. based sizes. Also, they’re supposed to fit tight. These are wetsuit jackets, so they don’t keep you dry, but by being close-fitting, they do help keep you warm. So take your measurements, order a jacket, and feel much more comfortable in the water.

    Have you joined a pool yet? Signed up for a swimming class? Joined a water aerobics class? Are you getting wet yet?

    I’ll see ya’ in the water.

    Please note that I receive commission on the products you buy. Thank you!

     

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  • Get Your Shoes Wet

    I was once a runner, and like other runners I always enjoyed the “runner’s high,” when your endorphins kick in and you’re in the zone. There is such freedom in a good run. I feel like I can breathe deeper, push myself in a gentle way, and allow my mind to meditate, all at the same time. Thoughts wander, maybe to generating new ideas for business. Sometimes I’d spend the time working out a problem. And sometimes I would spend the time talking to God. When I found myself using a cane due to an illness, I thought my running days were over. I was wrong. 

    When I first discovered water aerobics, I found myself arriving early, but since I didn’t know all the exercises, I didn’t know what to do with my time before class started. One day it hit me: Let’s run. It was great. All the old feelings returned. I was so excited to find that I could easily run – and do almost anything else that I once did on land – in the water! Talk about a freeing realization. This was a sea change moment for me. One that I have built on with water volleyball and other activities.

    Now I begin every personal workout with a good run. I know, it sounds kind of weird to be running in the pool but trust me and try it, it’s an excellent exercise! It strengthens the muscles in your legs, adds to your steps for the day, and increases your endurance. It’s a very effective workout all by itself.

    Position yourself in chest-high water, and run across the pool so you stay at the same depth, always remaining in chest-high water. If you want to challenge yourself, run in varying depths or try ankle weights. Or, just jog or run across the pool. You get optimum results from maintaining the same depth. There is an 84 year old in one of my classes that absolutely smokes the rest of us during sprints. And he laughs all the way to the end of his run. 

    Speaking of sprints, in doing water aerobics, good traction on the pool floor really helps. You can run barefoot, but a good pair of water shoes takes a lot of the stress off your legs and feet. 

    Ryka Water Shoes

    Water shoes look like tennis shoes but are very different. They have drainage ports on the bottom, and mesh or openings on the tops and sides. These features allow the water to move through the shoe, so they stabilize you without slowing you down. 

    Hey, water jogging/running while in tennis shoes, street shoes, or water shoes that have ever been worn outside is a big no-no. Iin addition to doing damage to good water shoes, any shoe gets contaminated with dirt, gum, or other trash when you wear them outside. Then you’re tracking that trash into the pool. At the better and safer pools, this kind of contamination will cause the staff to close the pool. So please, take your water shoes to the pool, change into them on the deck, and wear them for the workout. Then take them off and return to street shoes before you go outside.

    Water shoes are available at Academy Sportswear, Walmart, and other stores, but if you’re in it for the long haul I recommend grabbing a pair that’s going to last for years instead of months.

    I personally use Ryka HydraSports, see link above. 

     

    So… add water shoes to your list of equipment, and I’ll see ya’ in the water!

     

    Please note that I receive a commission from the products featured in this newsletter. Thank you!

  • Talking About Water Exercise

    Talking About Water Exercise

     

    …is sometimes as important as doing it. Why, you ask? Because you’re encouraging others to do water aerobics, lap swimming, pool volleyball, learn to swim, dive, or scuba. And that might be all the motivation they need to open up a whole new world of exercise.

    I had the happy good fortune to meet and talk with two other women while on vacation at the beach (near water, of course!). We were sitting on the ledge in the condo’s pool, enjoying extremely nice water temps on a sizzling hot July day. Turns out one of the women was a swimming instructor whose business taught 650 students a year. We connected over our shared love of water, and my water aerobics class and her swimming instruction. This in turn got the attention of another pool goer who joined in. We covered topics of conversation that I believe are helpful here:

    Weight Loss

    Exercise and diet, we all know the drill. But for some, due to weight issues, handicap, illness, or physical rehab/recovery, it is very difficult to exercise on land. Water fitness offers a perfect alternative.

    First of all, it takes a load off, due to the displacement principle. When you’re in the water up to your waist you are only supporting 50% of your body weight. At chest level water, you are supporting only 20% of your body weight.

    Second, it’s safer for fall risk individuals. If you fall, you’re hitting the very soft, very forgiving water, not the hard ground or solid pavement. Be sure to swim in a grounded pool with a trained lifeguard and/or instructor.

    As the saying goes, the best exercise is the one you do. Especially for those of us who love the water, it almost doesn’t feel like exercise (I did say almost). The more you do, with sensible eating choices, the more weight you lose.

    Getting In Shape

    Getting in shape after 40 – or after 20 or 30 or any other number – can be a challenge. We live in a society driven by onscreen entertainment. We can and do sit for hours in front of TV screens, computer screens, and smartphones. Right now, while you’re sitting in front of your favorite smart screen, search for the nearest gym with a pool. Call them and get the scoop on membership, hours, and classes. Go take the tour, and join. Do this for YOU.

    A note on weight-bearing exercise: Typically, water exercise and fitness are, by definition (see note above on displacement) not weight-bearing. For women especially, our doctors encourage us to do weight-bearing exercises. After much discussion, my gynecologist finally agreed with my internist that you can get the needed workout for building new muscle in the water. One key exercise here is running in the water. I do an hour’s worth of laps in the pool, running side to side, every day. I have strong abs and good muscle tone. So, I’m just saying, it is possible.

    As another woman joined our discussion, she was eager to learn about water aerobics and its benefits. She lives in another southeastern state and is now going to look into any classes available in her area. She said it sounds like a good idea, and a lot of fun. I can’t agree more and I encourage you to do the same!

    As an associate I receive commissions from products on this site. Thank you!

    Hooked on Water Fitness
    Hooked on Water Fitness

  • Hooked on Water Fitness One

     

    As a kid, I used to daydream about being a microbiologist; spending my days under water with tanks on my back, examining the most minute and inimitable creatures living in an incredible world that is truly the last frontier. Or shedding the tanks and swimming uninhibited underwater past colorful coral reefs and fascinating large fish – swimming with the dolphins, anyone? Occasionally, in my child’s mind I would catch my sleeve on a bit of coral rock or encounter an angry native and the “downside” of my beautiful life would come to the surface with a little pressure to get to air and away from predators or hungry sharks. I leapt at every chance I got to be in the water. Either swimming, skiing and fishing at the lake, or swimming and diving at the community pool, or on rare family vacations at the beach. Just put me in the water!

    My parents were cautious when it came to the kids being in the water. At the lake, Dad would check the area for stumps, rocks, and snakes before letting us go in. At the beach my parents kept an eye on us. And in the pool, well, there were 100 kids, 4 or 5 lifeguards, and I’m grateful they were there.

    The total circle of my life – all of our lives – is a little like that. Beauty and danger; ease and pressure; dreams and reality. That’s what this is all about.

    TODAY

    I spend at least 15 hours of every week in the water, leading a water aerobics class, playing pool volleyball, and/or working out by myself. Each time I’m in the water all those feelings from my childhood come rushing back: the relaxation of being in the water, the escape from stress, the soothing blue of the pool or the water itself; the freedom from my inconvenient cane; the power of the water, which can be both beautiful and dangerous at the same time.

    Then there’s the workout itself. Whether I’m running laps across the pool, doing cardio or resistance with the buoys, engaged in the high intensity interval exercises, or the balance and stretching part of the workout, it’s ALL GOOD.

    The exercise is my break from my work as a creative. I design mini ads and create content for companies and professionals. I work out of my home and have for years, way before the current rage.

    The biggest challenge in my life – all of our lives? – is to drown the noise, lock up the negative, find the still small voice, and for me, come back to the lure of the water. Water Exercise is one solution to finding peace while getting and staying in shape and meeting new people.

    Here I’ll make it my mission probable to examine the different forms of water exercise and fitness, the equipment used and the benefits, find the blessing, and share it with you. Please join me, as I share why I’m Hooked on Water Fitness.

    As an Amazon Affiliate, I will get a commission when you click on any product links. Thank you.