Water Workout

By Jim Twardowski and Barbara Twardowski

When my son was three years old, I held him in my arms. With amazement, he looked at me and said, “Mommy, you’re carrying me!”

I have Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and because I use crutches, I had never walked while holding him. Now, we were standing in a swimming pool. After explaining to him how the water could support me, he suggested we fill our house with water so that I could always walk.

In a swimming pool not only can I walk, but I can jump, kick, bend, jog and twirl. At nearly zero gravity, the water allows unrestricted movement. While providing buoyancy, it also creates 12 times more resistance than I get on land.

Exercising in the pool can reduce water retention, increase circulation, limber and strengthen muscles, increase balance and provide an aerobic workout at reduced impact, which puts less stress on joints.

“Aquatic exercise levels the playing field because everyone is equal in the water. You do what you are comfortable doing, modifying the exercise to fit your ability,” says Joan Beckstrom, director of Water Group Exercise at Pelican Athletic Club in Mandeville, Louisiana. “The water creates resistance. So just walking in the pool is exercising your body.”

Water is a forgiving environment. No matter what your age, size or physical ability, the water is a good fit.

My aquatics class is a diverse group. One young woman is pregnant, another is recovering from a car accident, and another alternates her exercise routine by playing tennis one day and doing aquatics the next.

Aquatic exercise feels good because, although you might sweat during exercise, the water keeps your body cool.

The water provides a full-body workout. While you’re working a particular muscle group, like legs, you’re still using your arms and torso for balance. The resistance of the water is engulfing and constant.

I don’t hurt while I’m working out in the water, and after a workout, I feel relaxed – as though I’ve had a massage.

“Water is a great medium. In a pool, people with [disabilities] can move and do what they can’t ordinarily do on land,” says Jenny Robison, a physical therapist in the Department of Neurology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, who works with the Vanderbilt Muscular Dystrophy Association clinic. “For example, someone who can’t raise her arms above her head will find she has complete range of motion when the water level in the pool reaches her neck. The water’s buoyancy makes exercising easier for those with muscle weakness.”

An aquatics class offers participants an opportunity to socialize. With the music thumping and our teacher instructing, we still find time to talk. The actual exercise never gets boring because the various instructors use different moves and equipment.

“For a lot of people, aquatics is the only exercise they can do. Ideally, start with a therapist demonstrating the exercises you can do in the water. Listen to your body. If you take an aquatics class, reduce the repetitions or the length of the class to fit your ability,” Robison says.

From kickboxing and step classes to stretching and yoga-like moves, traditional health club workouts can be duplicated in the pool. You can do aquatics without any equipment, but if you want to increase resistance or simply add variety to a workout, try some of the following accessories:

Flotation Belt
The belt keeps the body afloat while allowing the wearer to run or walk in place, perform jumping jacks and do straight leg kicks. Strap the belt around your waist and head for the deep end of the pool.

Foam Barbells
Foam barbells used in the pool weigh next to nothing, but try pushing them down through the water. (If your hands are weak, noodles – the long, flexible foam cylinders popular with swimmers – might be easier.)

With the foam barbells, you can move your arms in breast-stroke motion. Place them at your sides and punch them down, alternating each arm like a piston, or use them to do traditional curls. Use the foam barbells as a flotation device. Holding one in each hand, you can recline with legs together and knees bent. Twist the knees to one side. Keep the knees together and twist to the opposite side.

Power 8 Exercise Tube
Latex tubing shaped like a figure eight is an inexpensive accessory. You can use this tool with hands or feet. If you don’t have the Power 8 Exercise Tube, resistance bands, like those physical therapists use, work well and come in various strength levels.

Gloves
An open hand glides through the water. Wearing a webbed glove provides the maximum resistance when working the upper body.

Kickboard
Buttocks and thighs get an intense workout when you hold onto a kickboard and glide across the pool. If you don’t have a kickboard, hold onto the side of the pool and kick.

Aqua Step
This step device stays put while you step up and down, perform jumping jacks or do cross-country skiing moves.

Noodle
“The greatest piece of equipment for aquatic exercise is the noodle. Although it is primarily for buoyancy, it can be used a dozen different ways,” Beckstrom says. A noodle can be placed behind your back and will hold you up while you’re doing leg lifts, abdominal crunches and scissor kicks. Ride the noodle like a horse while your legs move as though riding a bicycle.

The noodle can be turned into a U shape. Push it down to the bottom of the pool with your foot to work leg muscles. Drag the noodle through the water for added resistance when working the arms. At the end of my aquatics routine, I tie the noodle into a knot and place it behind my head while stretching my neck.

Hydro-Tone Mini-Fin
The bright yellow Hydro-Tone Mini-Fin looks like a winged creature. Strap the fin to your ankle or wrist for increased resistance.

What to Wear
A bathing suit is the standard attire for aquatics classes. However, if you are modest or chill easily, companies such as H2O Wear (www.h2owear.com) make zippered jackets that can be worn in the pool.

Another alternative is to wear runner or cyclist clothing, which works well at repelling the water. One of my instructors wears running shorts over her bathing suit and another wears bicycle pants. Both of them teach their classes from poolside and jump in and out of the water as they demonstrate proper techniques. In cold weather, wearing a hat will help keep you warmer.

The bottom of a pool can be slippery. Proper shoes prevent sliding and add cushioned support. A large selection of aqua shoes is available from Sprint Aquatics/Rothhammer International.

One of the biggest obstacles to doing aquatic exercise is access to a pool. Community centres, health clubs, hotels, colleges, hospitals or private swimming instructors may have pools that meet your needs.

Remember, go slowly when you first begin exercising in the pool. Don’t use resistance equipment until you’ve built up strength and endurance. And for safety, always exercise with a buddy.

(Barbara and Jim Twardowski are freelance writers living in Mandeville, Louisiana, U.S.A. This article previously appeared in QUEST magazine.)

RESOURCES

Aquatic Access
www.aquaticaccess.com
Pool products and accessories for people with disabilities.
Toll-free: 1-800-325-5438

Canadian Aquafitness Leaders Alliance Inc. (CALA)
www.calainc.org
Toll-free: 1-888-751-9823

Speedo
www.speedo.com
Toll-free: 1-888-477-3336

Arthritis Society Aquatics Program (ASAP)
Contact The Arthritis Society for a program in your area.
www.arthritis.ca
Phone: (416) 979-7228

Sprint Aquatics/Rothhammer International
www.sprintaquatics.com
Toll-free: 1-800-235-2156