“Water exercise is super, because the body is so buoyant, meaning less impact on the joints,” said Jill Reid, senior recreation supervisor at the Washington Township Recreation Center. “And it’s a lot of fun.”
With bathing suit season right around the corner, the best way to get in shape might be to jump into the pool right now. Local recreation centers and YMCAs offer a variety of nonimpact water exercise classes to help you get your splash on.
Easy on the joints
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Just ask Paulette Hanselman.
“My knees are bad, so I can’t do regular exercise classes,” Hanselman said. “Water workouts are so much easier on my knees.”
The 69-year-old Centerville woman takes water workout classes as many as five days a week, and it’s making a noticeable difference.
“I’m more flexible, and I move better,” she said. “I can walk a lot better, and I feel better when I’m bowling, too.”
The effects of water exercise last long after participants climb out of the pool.
“It make you feel great,” Betty Roeckner said.
The 81-year-old Kettering woman has been taking water exercise classes for 20 years. She is in the pool three times a week.
“I would recommend it to everyone,” Roeckner said.
Reid said that the majority of the participants are in the 40-plus age range, but anybody can benefit from water exercise.
“For people who have trouble on land, for any number of reasons, water is a nice alternative,” Reid said. “There’s no excuse not to try it.”
Lots of options
Classes at the Washington Township Rec range from slow stretch to Aqua Zumba. The Kettering Recreation Center offers both traditional and deep-water workout classes. The City of Dayton Recreation and Youth Services recently added aqua yoga to its offerings.
“It’s yoga in the water, lots of breathing techniques and focus on flexibility,” said John Parker, City of Dayton Recreation and Youth Services program coordinator. “It’s a very holistic approach.”
Classes should be selected based on ability and desired goals.
“We have classes that offer stretching, cardio and aerobic workouts,” Reid said.
Other benefits can include improved balance, a stronger core and strengthened arms and legs.
With chair lifts, steps and ramps in many area pools, even those with physical limitations have water workout options. And participants are encouraged to work at their own pace in most classes.
More than a workout
“The socialization and psychological benefits of these classes is also very important,” Parker said. “Some of these people have made lifelong friends here.”
Reid’s classes regularly include cancer survivors as well as those rehabbing from surgery.
“We’ve seen, births, deaths and weddings together,” Reid said. “This is really a water family.”
A major benefit of having a water family, or participating in any group exercise, is the accountability factor. Those who exercise in group settings frequently have increased levels of commitment and motivation.
Hanselman, who is relatively new to the classes, after starting less than a year ago, thoroughly enjoys the social aspect of her pool time.
“People are really friendly,” she said. “It’s a fun class, so you want to come back.”
Water fitness fit facts
• The buoyancy of water reduces the “weight” of a person by about 90 percent, which means that the stress on weight-bearing joints is similarly reduced.
• Water exercise can encompass all of the components of fitness: cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance and flexibility.
• The resistance of water is perfect for a strength-training workout; instead of weights, the water itself provides resistance.
• In the water, heart rate will be reduced by as much as 17 beats per minute when compared to land exercise. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to how you feel. Your heart rate might indicate that your intensity is too low when you are actually exercising quite strenuously.
• One of the greatest benefits of water exercise is its effect on flexibility. Water is a welcome environment for performing stretches that might be difficult on land.
SOURCE: the American Council on Exercise
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