Why Train for Good Posture?

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Training for good posture may not sound as exciting as high intensity interval training or deep water running, but it is important for your future health and well being.  Look at the two photos below.  Which of these postures do you want to have as you get older?

The fact is that you may be training for the posture of the second man.  If you spend a lot of time seated in front of a computer or using a mobile device, or if you spend a lotman with walkerAdam Posture of time behind the steering wheel of your car, chances are that you are in a position known as passive forward flexion.  In this posture, you are stretching out the muscles of your upper back, your erector spinae and your gluteus maximus.  Once the muscles get stretched out, just like an elastic band that gets stretched out, it is hard to “tighten them up” again.  Combine weak muscles on the back side of the body with the effects of gravity as we age, and the end result is that you become bent over, unable to stand up straight, and prone to poor balance and falls.
using a computer

What to do?  One thing you can do is take frequent breaks away from your computer, mobile device, etc.  Standing up or walking around takes some of the stress off of those stretched out muscles.  The other thing you can do is train your body for good posture in your water fitness class.

  • Lift your sternum.  This one simple action brings the head into alignment with the spine and pulls the shoulders back.
  • Keep your spine in neutral.  This means that the cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions of the spine are aligned in their natural curves.
  • Brace your core before beginning any exercise.  Once you are in neutral spine, tighten the muscles of the back and abdomen to maintain that neutral alignment.
  • Strengthen the postural muscles – the middle trapezius, latissimus dorsi, erector spinae, gluteus maximus, and the abductors and adductors in the hips.
  • If you are in deep water, resist the temptation to lean forward at the waist to make the exercises easier to do or to travel faster through the water.  This position inhibits the proper muscles from doing the work, and it creates spinal compressgood form in deep waterion equal to running on pavement.  Instead concentrate on increasing your frontal resistance and dragging the water along with you.  You will move slower, but you will work harder and your posture will improve.

Good Posture / water fitness   /

Which Is Better: Shallow or Deep?

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Shallow water running     Deep water running    I get asked that a lot!

A better question is: What is the difference between shallow water exercise and deep water exercise?

  1. Pool Depth.  In shallow water the exerciser is standing in water that comes somewhere between waist level and chest level.  At this depth, buoyancy supports 70% of the body’s weight.  In deep water the exerciser is in water deep enough that the feet do not touch the pool floor.  A flotation device must be worn so that the exerciser does not have to spend the entire class trying to keep her head above water.  At this depth, buoyancy supports 90% of the body’s weight.
  2. Maintaining Alignment.  Exercise is safest when performed in neutral alignment.  In shallow water, water currents may challenge balance, but the exerciser’s feet are on the floor and her center of gravity (in the pelvic girdle) is the same as on land.  In deep water the exerciser has to balance from her center of buoyancy (at the lungs) with no information from her feet to tell her where she is in space.  It takes some practice, but the payoff is that core strength and posture both improve.
  3. Adam neutral   Amos suspended   Kathy diagonal                                Working position.  The working positions in shallow water are upright with rebound, upright grounded (keeping one foot in contact with the floor at all times), neutral (with the hips and knees flexed and the feet touching the floor) (see Photo 1), and suspended (see Photo 2).  The working positions in deep water include upright, tilted 45 degrees to the side (see Photo 3), seated as if in a dining room chair, and side-lying.
  4. Travel.  Travel in shallow water mainly involves the legs.  In deep water, travel significantly involves the upper body.  With no floor to push off from, the exerciser frequently uses arm movements to assist in travel, which requires a certain amount of upper body strength.
  5. Increasing Intensity.  Exercisers can increase intensity in shallow water by increasing speed, by increasing the range of motion, by using acceleration off the pool floor (jumping), by using acceleration against the water’s resistance (power moves) and by traveling.  Suspended moves also increase intensity for some, althKathy elevationough not so much for people who float easily.  The same methods can increase intensity in deep water with the exception of jumping and suspended moves.  In addition, deep water exercisers can elevate the shoulders out of the water with powerful leg moves or with sculling (see Photo 4).  High intensities can be achieved in both shallow water and  deep water.

These are some of the differences between shallow and deep water exercise.  Which is more interesting to you?

For more information about shallow and deep water, see my book Water Fitness Lesson Plans and Choreography.  Information about the book is available on my website at www.waterfitnesslessons.com  The photos illustrating this article come from the book.

deep water / shallow water / water fitness

Networking

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IMG_4509 Water Fitness Instructors:

Have you noticed how good your participants are at networking? As soon as they show up for your class, they begin visiting, they welcome new participants and help them with equipment, and if anyone is absent they call to find out why. They are so good at networking that sometimes you have to remind them that it’s time to start exercising!

Instructors need to network too.  Here are some reasons why:

  • The more people you know in water fitness, the more likely someone will think of you when they are looking for a good instructor.
  • Networking helps you find mentors who are willing to help you out.
  • Other instructors are great resources for finding places to buy swimsuits, water shoes, music and equipment.
  • Associating with other instructors gives you new ideas for your classes.
  • Networking can help you keep abreast of all the latest trends in water fitness.
  • Meeting with other instructors is a way to make friends who share your interest in water fitness, and who might be willing to teach your class when you need a sub.

MAAP LogoIf you live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, you have a great networking opportunity right in your backyard!  The Metroplex Association of Aquatic Professionals (MAAP) is an organization of water fitness instructors that meet 4-5 times a year for networking and education.  Membership dues are a bargain at only $25 a year.  Members get discounts on Continuing Education Trainings (CETs) presented by some of the top names in the business.  Julie See, the President in charge of Education for the Aquatic Exercise Association (AEA) and the editor of AKWA magazine will present 2 exciting workshops on September 26 in Plano.  Master Workouts are sample classes taught by MAAP members and they are free for members.  MAAP President Gary Brindle will present the next Master Workout on Tabata, a hot new trend in fitness, on November 7 in Allen.  MAAP has a website where you can find a calendar of events, a list of job openings in the area, and links to other websites where you can find certifications, swimsuits, water shoes, music, equipment and more.  MAAP members get e-mail notices whenever the website has been updated.  There is a link to the MAAP website on my website at www.waterfitnesslessons.com.  Find it at the bottom of the page, click on it, and start networking!

water fitness   / /

Why exercise in the water?

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DSCN0467Hello World!  Welcome to my blog!

My name is Christine Alexander.  I am passionate about water fitness and I’m not the only one!  There are millions of people participating in water fitness classes in the United States.

By now nobody still believes (I hope!) that water fitness is just for little old ladies in shower caps. And most people can name a few of the benefits of exercising in the water.  For example, water conducts heat away from the body keeping exercisers cool and comfortable during exertion, a big plus during the hot summer months here in Texas!  Buoyancy offloads the joints, making movement comfortable for people recovering from injuries and others with chronic illnesses.

There are other benefits that are not so well known.  Dr. Bruce Becker, a research professor at Washington State University, where he directs the National Aquatics and Sports Medicine Institute, outlined these benefits for the International Aquatics virtual conference on November 8, 2011:

  • Just getting in the pool lowers blood pressure for most people, and this effect lingers for awhile after you get out of the pool.
  • Hydrostatic pressure against the chest increases the work of breathing, which strengthens the muscles of respiration.
  • Hydrostatic pressure pushes blood out to the extremities, increasing stroke volume and cardiac output, while at the same time lowering the heart rate.
  • The increased cardiac output means greater blood volume is pushed through the kidneys, which in turn improves kidney function and increases urine output.
  • Blood flow to the muscles increases an amazing 250%.  The extra blood flow helps heal damaged tissue.

All of this with no side effects!  Dr. Becker encouraged everyone involved in aquatics to spread the word about how beneficial it is to exercise in the water.  These and many other amazing benefits are listed on my website at www.waterfitnesslessons.com.  Now that I’ve told you, it’s your turn.  Tell someone else why he or she should exercise in the water.  See you at the pool!

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