Marketing to the active aging person, products often put a negative spin on aqua workout classes, implying that the classes are for “old people,” unlike what they are selling you, like a gentle yoga class or urban walking group, which is hip and trendy. Fishy tactics if you ask me. What they do not do, is deny that aqua workouts are available for a wide range of abilities and provide a multitude of benefits.
I teach aqua cardio classes multiple times each week. The classes are always full, with a long waitlist of students ready to join the class should an opening occur. My students are of varying age, size, and most notably, ability. That is exactly what makes an aqua class a fabulous option for most anyone that is water safe.
Those with arthritis or joint injuries may have difficulty with some land-based exercises, finding them difficult to do, even painful on the joints. Those same exercises can be performed in the water, as buoyancy and the resistance of the water will slow down your movements, decreasing impact, so stress to your joints is lessened. For those same reasons, aqua workouts may provide an option for those who carry some extra weight and find certain movements too challenging on land.
Let water resistance provide you with more effective movements. In a class, you are following the lead of the instructor, you are moving with the group. Likely, music is driving your motion. On land, gravity assists with most downward movements. In water, pushing down is just as important as pulling up to stay on beat. Happy splashing is going to happen!
Bonus benefit: We burn more calories when working out in water. A Harvard Health article entitled “What makes water workouts so worthwhile?” tells us, “Added resistance translates to extra calorie burn compared with land-based exercise. For example, a 150-pound person burns about 250 calories jogging for 30 minutes on land. But jogging in water for 30 minutes burns about 350 calories.”
While we know that all forms of exercise are good for the heart, Dr. Aubrey Grant, a sports cardiology fellow at the Cardiac Performance Laboratory at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital, says in the same article, “Swimming is one of the best forms of cardiovascular exercise.”
Water is fluid and soothing, yet it can be powerful, especially when used as a tool for your health. The more vigorous your movements, the greater your benefits will be.
The effect of 12 weeks of water-aerobics on health status and physical fitness: An ecological approach, a study of adults 18 years and older, published in the National Library of Medicine, stated: “The current results suggest that a 12-week water aerobics program held twice a week for 50 min per session contributes favorably to improve explosive strength, especially of the upper limbs. Moreover, it reduces the body fat mass and the systolic blood pressure. However, it does not appear to cause significant changes in the lipid profile of adults and older adults. Moreover, in a real-life context, lessons seem to be performed with low intensity loads, a finding that could provide relevant information for professionals and researchers. Sessions should be prescribed and performed with sufficient intensity to optimize the stimulus, especially for strength exercises.”
As a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist, I encourage you to ask your doctor if aqua exercises are advised when you have a joint injury. It can be frustrating to be on a rhythm with your workouts and then become injured, often outside of your workout. Not only does this take a physical toll, but it may challenge you mentally as well. Don’t force movement before your body is ready. That can aggravate the injury.
Aqua cardio may be your answer. A great workout for anyone. Catch the wave!
Contributing writer Denise Lum is a Health and Fitness Coach raising her family in Alameda. Contact her via [email protected] or FitnessByDsign.com. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Denise-Lum.
