Posts Tagged ‘Water Aerobics’

 
Strength, flexibility and stamina for the proper functioning of the human body are what seniors require to face the physical challenges of life. As you age you find more and more activities become increasingly difficult to perform. Many seniors become less active in society, not because of poor health or laziness but it’s more to do with the fear of falling or injuring themselves. Water aerobics is an ideal fitness activity for seniors because the buoyancy of water supports 90 percent of your body, yet due to its density provides enough resistance to promote muscle strength.

All fitness exercise sessions begin with a warm-up, which incorporates slow cardio and stretching exercises to get your blood pumping and your muscles working, preparing for the increased activity of your fitness exercise and finishes with a cooling down routine, where your limbs and other parts of your body are stretched and relaxed. According to estimations, you will burn between 500 and 700 calories in a 40-45 minute fitness water aerobics exercise session. 

Strenuous fitness exercises like running, jogging and bike riding have been credited with reducing cholesterol, high blood pressure and the prevention of heart disease. Walking on land burns 135 calories in half an hour while walking in deep water (for the same period of time) burns 264 calories.

Did you know that water aerobics has also achieved the same desired results? The natural buoyancy of water supports the body and relieves the stress on joints, tendons and ligaments. Water’s gentle support enables easy and effortless movements and can help seniors exercise their full body with low impact fitness exercise routines. With a water aerobics fitness exercise routine you can work within your own comfort zone, without any strain. This is the most common complaint by people performing land based fitness exercises.

Both your fine motor movements and your larger muscles and joints get a thoroughly good workout, because of the supportive nature of the water and its temperature of 82º F to 86º F, which also reduces the chance of any injury or falling. Try to use a salt water pool in preference to a chemical laden pool.

Over time as your confidence levels increase so will your desire to improve your strength, endurance, balance and flexibility with your fitness and health exercise routines. It will also help your brain and may help prevent dementia while the increased blood flow to your brain will help you think better.

Include activities you enjoy so you won’t view your fitness and health routines as a chore. You are more likely to make a commitment to good fitness and health exercise routines if you enjoy what you’re are doing and achieving.

If you suffer from arthritis or osteoarthritis you need water aerobics or swimming fitness exercises to eliminate the impact on your joints.  As the blood circulation increases it will help lubricate your joints as well as reduce or relieve your pain.

Fitness And Health Ideas believes seniors’ fitness exercises need to be kept simple, flowing and above all safe for all seniors irrespective of their fitness levels. You may prefer to start doing these senior fitness exercises listed below by yourself.

Two important points you need to consider:

A.    Fitness And Health Ideas impress upon you as a senior to make it your responsibility to discuss your exercise program with a fully qualified health professional (doctor) prior to beginning your fitness exercise routine.

B.    Fitness And Health Ideas impress upon you as a senior to make it your responsibility to make sure you don’t attempt any fitness exercises without people present in case of an health emergency.

Here are some amazing fitness and exercise benefits for seniors:-

* Provides a feeling of youthfulness

* Increases self confidence

* Can help to slow down or diminish the effects of chronic illness

* Increase flexibility

* Lower cholesterol

* Lower blood pressure

* Reduce inflammation

* Overcome depression

* Increase energy

In a senior’s fitness and exercise class you would not be expected to do movements like jumping, over stretching or anything complicated or jolting. You need smooth and easy flowing movements that are gentle on your joints but still raise and maintain your heart rate. The major reason for doing aerobic fitness exercises is to enhance your metabolic rate and burn calories, decrease body fat, increase your flexibility and build muscle strength, improve your immune system and promote bone density.

Even those in varying stages of recovery from ailments can experience improved health and faster healing with a water aerobics fitness and exercise routine.

The health benefits of water aerobics for seniors can be incalculable.

Fitness and Health Ideas to be precise is here to help you prepare the body for the physical necessities of daily life. Fitness and Health provides strength, flexibility and stamina for the proper functioning of the body.

WHY SHOULD I DO WATER AEROBICS

We all know that exercise such as running, jogging and biking has been found to reduce cholesterol and high blood pressure and prevent heart disease. Did you know that water aerobics can have the same desired effect.

This article emphasises the benefits of water aerobics. Aquatic exercise is becoming increasingly popular as water has been found to be ideal for muscle toning, is soothing and increases stamina, strength, flexibility and endurance. It is well known that our body weight is much less in water. Hence when one stands in water at chest level your body is near weightless. The natural buoyancy of water supports the body and relieves the stress on joints, tendons and ligaments. Water’s gentle support enables easy and effortless movements. Many people with arthritis, old age problems and post-operative recuperation walk several times up and down the pool, usually such pools are 4 ft deep only at any point or all points or through its length and breadth. Such shallow pools are zones of wonderful therapeutic cure. In winter the swimming pool is heated and in summer the pool is kept cool. Many patients come to recover from injuries and after surgery also.

Patients are required to do the exercises for the head, eye, mouth, shoulder, inner and outer arms, thighs, legs, ankle, feet, fingers and toes. In short, the exercises cover every part of the body from head to toe. Breathing exercises are also included. While land exercises aggravate orthopaedic problems, water exercises can be done without undue stress and muscle weakness.

Many of the elite sports personalities with injuries use water aerobics.

The quality of water is unique. It’s elasticity adjusts to variations in force or speed of movement at different joint angles thus providing a constantly changing resistance.

The fascinating and inviting qualities of water make the exercises smoother and more relaxing than hand exercises.

In water aerobics the combination of routine is limitless and there is something for everyone, even a non-swimmer.

Just standing in neck deep water stimulates circulation, there is a soothing effect on the muscles, the heart in fact recovers more quickly from exertion because it is not working against the force of gravity. The water exercise includes 15 minutes of warming up and ends with 15 minutes of colling down with ½ hour of jogging and exercises in between.

Water Temperature

Water temperature should be between 82⁰ -  85⁰. Water that is too warm can make you feel sick, where colder water can cause pain in stiff or arthritic joints. If you fear water, wear a flotation device and stay in the shallow part of the pool.

 Different Strokes

For calorie burning, stroke matters. A 123 pound woman swimming side stroke will burn 68 calories in 10 minutes while a 170 pound man will burn 90 calories. The same woman burns 95 calories with a slow crawl or backstroke and the man, 130 calories.

 The breaststroke eats up 91 calories during a 10 minute swim for the woman and 125 calories for the man.

 I can’t Swim

 People who haven’t learnt to swim can still do a variety of water exercises, including aqua aerobics, walking or jogging across a pool in chest deep water or running in place while treading water with flotation devices to keep you upright in the deep end of the pool. Lift your knees high, pump your arms back and forth. Devices such as fins, hand paddles and inflatable rubber mitts help strengthen your upper body or legs by increasing resistance against the water.

 A total body workout in water should include exercises for all major muscle groups. A typical warm-up and cool down can include shallow water walking with gentle arm movements back and forth.

 A combination of leg kicks and leg lifts can work the lower body, while arm circles and figure 8’s work the upper body, including shoulders, chest and back. Kicking laps across the pool holding on to a kickboard is a great conditioner and can be done by non-swimmers.

 Water workout – Swimming and Water Aerobics

 Aqua aerobics is particularly beneficial for pregnant women with the added load in their belly and the increase weight during pregnancy, most women find conventional forms of exercising quite difficult. Besides, there is a high risk of sustaining injury to hips, back and other parts of the body.

Check out  Fitness and Health Ideas for more informative and interesting articles.

Buzzle.com – Aqua Aerobics – Water Aerobic Exercises.