Fast & fluid fun for all!


Ever wondered what it would feel like to actually perform your physical exercises in the water, splashing your way to a fitter, flatter body? Besides providing you with the best fitness, fun water or aquatic exercise is a sure way to get numerous health benefits such as reduced cardiovascular risk, enhanced muscle strength, greater flexibility and tone. After all, what’s cooler than discovering and enjoying cool challenges during those hot summer months?


Why is water exercise cool?

Well, simply because it’s sheer fun, pure enjoyment and totally beneficial in many aspects. However, the main reason why water exercise offers so many benefits is hidden in the water itself.

That’s right, simple H2O has some great properties for fitness, such as?

1- Resistance power: Water has great resistance power. This allows you to work opposing sets of body muscles simultaneously. Unlike land fitness workouts, in water you are surrounded by this resistance and, hence, can individually decide how hard to push, pull and move that resistance during the workout. For example, if you are performing curls underwater, pulling up will work the biceps, while pushing down will build up the triceps.


2- Buoyancy:  Buoyancy is one’s tendency or capacity to remain afloat in a fluid or liquid. The main advantage of water buoyancy is that it reduces your weight considerably, putting significantly less stress on your joints, bones and muscles and allowing for creative  fitness  activities.

Typical exercises on land, such as running, do not affect any of your joints. In fact, the heel strike while running or jogging can sometimes have a negative impact. Fortunately, this does not happen in water. The viscosity of water allows you to push, pull, run, jump, jack and jog much harder and better. This naturally utilizes all of your body including your back, abdominal muscles and oblique muscles which are often ignored during other workouts.


3- Workout variety: If you keep working on the same physical exercise schedule, your fitness level will eventually reach a “plateau” phase where even healthier diet and lengthier exercises will not work. Therefore, you need a variety of activities to make sure your fitness plan doesn’t peak at a plateau!  Water offers the best solution to this problem.  You can always try things like deep water jogging or lap swimming. Alternatively, if you are into body building and would like to strength train with weights, there are many aquatic products available to enhance your water workout capacity.  Examples of such products include buoyancy belts, dumbbells (yes, you can lift weights underwater), water noodles and gloves.

4- And yet the same easy basics: While water exercising tactics and apparatus might be different from those used in exercise on land, the basic fundamental approach is essentially the same. You need to warm up and stretch yourself before starting water workouts. You also need to maintain the same number of reps you would for terrestrial (land) exercises. In addition, it’s even better if you mix up all the exercises you do in the water. This will create a diversified variety of physical activities to meet all the needs of your muscles and joints.


5- All-around utility: Another great feature and benefit of water exercise is its high utility during both normal and special circumstances. For the same reason, many physiotherapists, professional athletes and even health care professionals recommend water exercise when dealing with a physical injury.     The water buoyancy and viscosity allows you to continue exercising without putting any extra pressure or exertion on your injury. Also, as your body is partially supported by water as well, you have to perform less strenuously and, as a result, your heart works at a relatively slower rate, making aquatic exercise more convenient for people with diabetes, obesity or even heart disease. For the same reasons, even pregnant women can enjoy all of the related benefits of water workouts.

Two are better than one!
Although exercising in the water is usually easy to perform and practice, it’s always better to do it when you are not alone. Finding someone to exercise with should not be a problem, especially when you already know much about it and can convince others about the benefits. You can search for classes at your gym or fitness center or, alternatively, call up an old friend and devise a joint plan for getting back into shape!

Lastly, remember, as the summer ends, your aquatic exercises should not peter out. Find some warm indoor pool, check their schedule and keep going and going.