The word exercise reminds us of rigorous workout with sweating and exhaustion and this stops many people aspiring to be fit and healthy from doing it. Well, aqua-aerobics is the latest fad in the fitness world and this trend is catching up with a fast pace.
There is no particular age criteria for participating in an aqua-aerobics program. Even one need not know swimming either. Water is considered as a great equalizer and it resists any body movement more heavily than in air. This helps anyone in achieving great body symmetry which can’t be gained by doing exercises on land.
Here are a few benefits of aqua-aerobics:
- It is a completely pain free exercise program with least impact on body.
- It helps in gaining body flexibility and body movement coordination.
- It calms and relaxes the body, relieving it from stress.
- One may experience the effects of being massaged by the resistance of water while doing the exercise movements.
- Aqua-aerobics has been proven beneficial in diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, heart diseases and post-operational rehabilitation.
- Risk of injury in aqua-aerobics are very much less.
- Losing weight is much easier with aqua-aerobics. It burns out anywhere from 350-700 calories in an hourly session.
Let us discuss different types of exciting aqua-aerobic techniques which help anyone, especially elderly people in various aspects.
Stretches
A basic workout for warming up in the aqua-aerobics is stretching. This loosens the muscles and enhances your stability by getting rid of the initial stiffness.
To perform this, stand near the edge of the pool, facing its sidewall and by holding onto the edge, step back one leg and press both the feet flatly. Bend the front leg at knee and lean forward, pushing up yourself using your hands on the edge. A stretching in the calf area can be experienced by doing this. After some time, switch the legs.
Raise up your arms over your head to get the muscles of your arms, back and abdominal area stretched. Reach each of your arm sideways across the front of your body to stretch the triceps of the arms.
Whenever you are stretching your body in any particular way, stretch only till you feel comfortable.
Water walking
Walking inside the pool with a slow or moderate pace serves as a good exercise for elderly people, especially for arthritis and heart patients.
To perform this, get inside the pool in the area of waist deep water and start walking on the pool floor across the pool, swinging your arms naturally as you walk on land. With your back straight, keep your feet flat on the pool floor. Water shoes are recommended for extra grip. Keep your abdominal muscles tight throughout the walking procedure. If you want it be a bit tougher, wear hand webs while walking. When familiar with this, try this exercise in neck-deep water.
K-tread
To get a toned body while swimming, one can try K-tread.
In the neck-deep water, start treading by making small circles using cupped hands, and lifting the right leg straight in front at hip level while extending the toes of left leg towards the pool bottom. Hold the position for 5 seconds and then quickly switch the position of legs. Keep switching the legs, and continue the exercise for 30 seconds. Remember that both the legs should be straight.
Otter roll
In this exercise, one has to imitate the movement of rolling of the animal, ‘otter’ in a water body. For attaining some buoyancy, a beach ball is used.
One has to hug the beach ball to the chest and float on his back, legs straight and feet stuck together. The next step is to roll towards left and over the top of ball, using the whole body and complete a full revolution thereby returning to the starting position. Take a breath and do it again. Freshers can rock in a side-to-side manner with head above water while doing the exercise. Change the rolling direction every 30 seconds.
Waist trim
This exercise helps in shedding a few pounds off your waist area. It works on both of your legs and waist altogether.
To do this exercise, you have to press your back against the sidewall of the pool, extend both arms along the edge of the pool deck to support your body. Bring up your knees in front of the chest area, then straighten up your legs out in front of you. This is then followed up by swinging your legs in a left-to-right-to-left way and then back to the initial position. Repeat this exercise at least ten times.
Total body stretch
As the name says, this exercise is done to get full stretching of the body. This helps in relieving joint pains, aching muscles and toning legs.
Face towards any sidewall of the pool, hold the edge of the pool with your hands. Bend your knees and press your feet in opposition to the wall along with inhaling. While you exhale, move your hips back and straighten your legs to stretch your body completely.
Note that you shouldn’t be locking your knees and elbows or straining your back. Repeat the exercise for 10 times.
Arm toning
Here we have a quick and easy routine that you can perform to achieve more toned and tight arms.
Stand straight keeping some distance between your feet, extend arm in front of you while holding a ball. Breathe in a rhythmic manner and push the ball into the water. Swing the ball forming a horizontal eight figure through the water. You may feel the variation of resistance on your arms and upper body. Move the ball in a smooth rhythmic way so as not to strain your shoulders or back. Maintain a sturdy balance and repeat the exercise ten times.
Resistance exercise using a kickboard
Kickboard is another prop which can be used to raise the bar of resistance while exercising.
Stand up straight with a suitable distance between legs and tighten your ab muscles. Hold the ends of kickboard by each arm. Move the kickboard in an anti-clockwise direction till the center of your body while keeping the left elbow closer to your body. Return to the initial position and repeat the procedure 12 to 15 times or until you are comfortable with it. Then change the side and do it from that side.
Floating on water
Floating on the water eases your body and relaxes the muscles and bones. Relaxation is an important aspect for completion of any exercise routine.
Loosen up your body, feel free from any kind of fitness and let your body float on water. You will be quite amazed about the fact that besides being an essential sport, swimming also serves as a relaxant.