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Feeling Fit: Cool in the Pool – Summer Exercising in Water
By Aly Wagonseller
Summer can put a big damper on your workout routine. The kids are out of school, there are BBQs and vacations to be had, and unless you rise before the break of dawn, it’s just too scorching hot to take that daily jog. So how can you keep your bathing suit body up to par in the heat of the summer months? A refreshing alternative most likely resides in your own backyard. Yup, the swimming pool is where it’s at, for burning calories, staying cool and maintaining healthy habits that benefit the entire family.
Taking the Plunge
Besides being close to home, the added resistance and buoyancy of water make it a safer, more effective way to workout than land based activity. Studies have shown that because water is 800 times denser than air, it provides up to 12 times the resistance you get on land. More resistance means you work harder and expend more energy, burning up to twice the calories pool-running than you would on pavement or the treadmill. Exercising in the water also prevents injury and is a great way for senior citizens, pregnant women and those that are exercise challenged to get in on the action. “Swimming pool exercises pose less risk to the body because they relieve tremendous pressure on the joints, especially the hips and knees,” said Dr. Michael Crovetti, founder and medical director of Crovetti Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. “When running underwater, the joints are now only supporting 1/6 of the person’s total body weight, as opposed to six times the person’s body weight when running on solid ground.” Long story short, exercising in the pool allows you to work out longer, burn more calories and reduce the risk of injury, all while barely breaking a sweat!
Diving into a Routine
Getting a good workout in the water doesn’t necessarily require special equipment; in fact, simply running at waist to shoulder high depths while pumping your arms against the resistance of the water can be a phenomenal aerobic and strength building workout in one. If you do choose to amp it up a notch, Dr. Crovetti recommends kickboarding and working out your arms by performing chest flies and front raises with resistance paddles. Kickboards and paddles are relatively inexpensive and can be found at most major sporting good stores. Dr. Crovetti also suggests a warm-up routine of walking up and down the length of the pool for a few minutes to get blood pumping to the muscles, then getting out of the pool and performing some basic stretching exercises before getting back into the water for more strenuous activity.
Don’t forfeit exercise just because it’s summer. Slather on the sun screen, turn on the tunes and get splashin’ in the pool. It’s guaranteed to make that BBQ rib or frothy margarita taste that much better!
Getting Wet and Wild
Pool exercise has never been more popular. Check out these websites for fun ways to feel the burn while staying cool in the pool.
Livestrong.com: This site offers an entire section on kickboard techniques that describe exercises for working upper body, core and legs while getting a serious aerobic workout. There are also sections on water aerobics and basic swimming.
Poolates.com: What could be better than Pilates? Poolates! This site offers a DVD and equipment for doing Pilates in the pool, a surefire way to get long, lean muscles and a strong back and abs.
Swimoutlet.com: Besides offering the latest in fashionable bathing suits, this site has a wide variety of pool exercising gear that includes water shoes, aqua gloves, barbells, jog belts that allow for flotation while running, waterproof MP3 players, pool games, instructional DVDs and more.
