Aqua Fit is the name for the water aerobics classes at my local gym. I thought it would be fun to give it a try as I’ve lately been injured (followed by an allergic reaction to the meds for my injury) and was looking for exercise that would be a little less intense. Can water fitness classes be part of your toolkit to maintain your healthy weight?
Before you start any exercise program, it’s important to check with your health care provider to find out if it’s a good fit for you!
What is water aerobics? “Technically speaking, the term water aerobics implies a cardio component, but water aerobics can encompass much more than that—including strength, power, balance, and mobility—so perhaps a better catchall term is ‘water exercise’.” (1). It can include many types of exercises and stretches that are often part of other fitness classes, but the movements are done under water.
Water aerobics has many benefits:
- A 12 week study with senior American participants found that two 50 minute weekly sessions resulted in improved results for upper body explosive strength, fat mass, and systolic blood pressure (2).
- If you are presently sedentary, water exercise will help in “increasing your endurance, improving your circulation, allowing you to rehabilitate any problematic muscles, and reducing your stress level” (3).
- Water exercise can keep you moving, which is imperative for our health. “Older adults with arthritis, heart disease, prior injuries, or extra weight may find even slow walking too painful or difficult” (4). Aqua fitness can also be a gateway to more strenuous exercise, like swimming.
- Water aerobics challenges your balance and core. This is assuming that you don’t hold on to the side of the pool or the swimming lane dividers (1). If you concentrate on your posture and abdominal muscles, you can really feel them engage as you move through the water.
- Once you’re in the water, these classes make comparisons with others difficult as the water obstructs the view of what others are doing (1). The entire atmosphere is non-competitive, which may not be the case with other fitness classes.
- Exercising in water is a stress reliever due to its flow and massage-type characteristics. It can impart a feeling of weightlessness and well being (5).
There are a few downsides to aqua fitness classes, as compared to other forms of exercise:
- It does little to build strong bones, and is not as efficient in building muscle mass as weight bearing exercise is. However, if weights are used, they can help to build upper body muscle (6).
- Some people have allergies or other symptoms from the chemicals used to keep pool sanitary (6). Most pools have showers nearby to help rinse off these irritants.
- These classes may not be located close to home and fees to join a facility with a pool may be more costly than a budget type of gym.
If you have access to a pool, but not water aerobics classes, here are a couple links that can get you started with your exercise plan: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/multimedia/aquatic-exercise/sls-20076730 and https://www.womansworld.com/posts/fitness/water-aerobics-exercises/amp
While water aerobics classes are fun and motivational, they may not provide adequate cardio exercise if you are already accustomed to aerobic workouts. They are perfect for those who are just getting (back) into exercise, have joint or mobility problems, are recovering from illness or injury, have challenges with balance, or enjoy the weightless feeling that water provides. Added bonus: the pool water has quite a cooling effect – great to combat summer heat!
Where to find water fitness classes near you? Try a maps or internet search, as well as your local YMCA, local gyms that have pools, physical therapy centers, and community centers.
Why not give it a try to see if it will be a good fit for your healthy weight maintenance plan?
(1). https://www.self.com/story/water-aerobics-classes
(2). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5978883/
(3). https://orthopedicassociates.org/the-benefits-of-walking-3/
(4). https://www.silversneakers.com/blog/swimming-exercise/
(5). https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/activity/aqua-aerobics
(6). https://www.livestrong.com/article/273601-pros-cons-of-water-aerobics/
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