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From Gym to Swim: How to Turn Indoor Exercises into a Water Workout
Maia Appleby
So it's too hot to walk or run outside in the summer, you say?
Don't feel like riding a bike or playing tennis in the brutal
heat? Do you want to enjoy your outdoor summer exercise without
that sweaty, sticky feeling?
How about hopping in the pool and doing your workout the
luxurious way? The pool just might be the only place where you
can do cardiovascular work, toning and stretching without even
feeling like you've broken a sweat!
CARDIOVASCULAR: THE WARM-UP
Swimming laps is one of the best things you can do to strengthen
your heart and lungs. If you're a decent swimmer and enjoy lap
swims, spend a few minutes a day at it to warm up for toning and
stretching.
Otherwise, walking or running in the pool is just as effective.
It may sound easy, but just try it! If you go in up to your
shoulders and run, you'll get your heart rate up with no problem.
It may be very difficult to sustain at first, but try to build up
your time to at least twenty minutes. One very important thing to
remember is to keep your feet as fully planted as possible while
you do your pool exercises, especially when walking and running.
If you tiptoe (which people tend to do without realizing it),
your calves will be killing you the next day. Keep those heels
down!
TONING: EIGHT GREAT MOVES YOU CAN DO IN THE POOL
The wonderful thing about water is that it gives you natural
resistance with absolutely no impact to the joints. For those
with severe arthritis or other joint problems, it offers the
perfect alternative to lifting weights. You really can tone up in
the pool. Just like weight training, your muscles are contracting
against resistance, becoming stronger with each session.
There are exercises you can do for every muscle group, and your
risk of injury is extremely low. Think about exercises you do
with free weights. The beauty of resistance training is that it
is very easily modified. Anything that you do with dumbbells can
be translated into a water exercise. If you already have a
routine with free weights, you have a license to create your own
water move that does the same thing.
Be creative, but also be mindful at all times of your body
position (which can be thrown off in the water). Keep your weight
distributed evenly and check your posture often. Keep your
abdominals tucked in to support your back throughout every
exercise. Don't bend, stretch or reach any further than you do on
land. It takes time to grow accustomed to the gravitational
difference in water, but as your experience grows, your body will
become more in-tune with the water. Here are a few examples of
modified free weight exercises:
For the quadriceps (front of the thighs), hamstrings and glutes:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart in shallow water with your
arms bent at your sides, hands out flat with fingers together and
palms up. Slowly bend your knees into a squat position, sticking
your derriere out behind you (don't worry about looking silly ¨C
you're under water!). Do not allow your knees to extend beyond
your toes, but try to simulate a sitting-in-a-chair position.
Cupping your hands, keeping your back neutral (not arched) and
abs tucked in, exhale and stand up straight. Turn your hands to
return to the starting position. Be very careful to maintain
perfect form throughout this exercise.
For hips and glutes: Facing the edge of the pool, hold on with
both hands and slowly bring one leg out to your side, keeping
your back straight. Exhale while you bring it up as high as you
comfortably can without turning at the ankle (this probably won't
be as high as you could if you did turn your ankle). Bring it
back down and repeat, doing a full set for each leg.
For glutes: KICK! You can breeze around on a kickboard or hold
onto the side of the pool, but the scissoring motion is great for
the buttocks and hamstrings, and it indirectly tones the
abdominals. What could be more fun than this?
For the back, shoulders and arms: Do pull-ups. Grasp the side of
the pool and lower your body as far as your arms will allow.
Keeping your knees bent, exhale and pull yourself up as high as
you can (the range of motion for this will vary greatly from one
person to another). For the chest: Standing in water up to your
neck, reach your hands out to each side, with your elbows unbent
and your palms forward. Slowly bring them together, clapping your
hands, and then turn your hands to return to the starting
position.
For triceps: Stand straight, with your open hands palms-down on
the surface of the water. Keeping your elbows locked at your
sides (pretend they're glued to your ribcage), exhale and push
down until your hands are beside your hips. Turn your hands and
bring them back to the starting position.
For biceps: Bring your open hands to the side of each hip, palms
forward, with your fingers close together. Exhale as you slowly
bend at the elbow to bring your hands toward your shoulders.
For abs, you can simulate crunches, or here's a toughie: stand
with your back to the side of the pool, holding onto the rim with
your elbows. Keeping your knees unbent, slowly bring both legs up
to a sitting position and hold it for ten seconds. Do not hold
your breath, though. Breath slowly throughout this exercise. Then
bend at the knee to bring them down, repeating this as many times
as you'd like to. Be careful to keep your back straight
throughout this exercise. There are lots of gadgets available for
toning; you can get these at most department stores or athletic
supply stores. They make the work a little more challenging and
possibly give you speedier results, but it's better to begin
water exercise without them. Once you feel like you need to push
yourself a little harder, go ahead and use them. They'll add a
new flavor to your old workout, keeping you motivated and
interested.
STRETCHING: THE DESSERT
Just about any of the stretches you do on land can also be done
in the water. When you're finished with your toning, hold the
side of the pool with one hand, stand on one foot, bend the other
knee and grasp your ankle with your free hand to stretch your
quadriceps and hip flexors. Hold the side of the pool with one
hand and turn your body by pointing your toes away from the wall
to stretch your biceps and pectorals. There are many, many
stretches that you can do. Just make sure that you're properly
warmed up (this takes a little longer in the pool) and keep your
feet flat on the floor at all times.
Finito! You're done. Remember that your perceived exertion is a
little off in the pool ¨C you may feel like you didn't work that
hard, but you did. You also may be a little sore the next day, so
don't push yourself too hard until you know how much you can
handle.
IMPORTANT NOTE: YOU ARE NOT A FISH! You don't have gills to keep
your body hydrated, and it is possible to become dehydrated in
the pool, so make sure you drink water before and after your
workout. Once working out in the pool becomes a part of your
summer lifestyle, you may begin to think you're a fish, but that'
s only because pool exercise is so fun, it has you hooked!
Please see Shape Up Shop's aqua section www.shapeupshop.com/aqua
with water exercise equipment for the summer of 2003!
Maia Appleby is the President of Ideal Fitness, Inc., offering a
group of health promoting websites including www.inch-aweigh.com
and www.mightyvitamins.com. Please visit her sites for hundreds
of articles on fitness, nutrition and weight loss.
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