Category: Benefits of water fitness

The Benefits of Exercising in Deep Water

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Exercising in deep water has many of the same benefits as exercising in shallow water, plus a few more. The hydrostatic pressure in deep water pushes blood out to the extremities the same as in shallow water, but since more of the body is submerged cardiovascular efficiency is enhanced and the heart rate is even lower. Hydrostatic pressure against the chest makes inhaling more challenging, which strengthens the muscles of respiration. Ninety percent of the body works against the water’s resistance requiring increased energy expenditures during exercise, and improving muscular strength. Exercisers are able to achieve higher maximal contractions in the lower body and trunk compared to the same movements in shallow water or on land. Immersion in deep water completely offloads the joints leading to a greater range of motion and improving flexibility. There is an exhilarating feeling of weightlessness that comes with exercising in deep water.

Buoyancy creates a challenge to maintain neutral alignment. In shallow water, exercisers maintain alignment using their center of gravity located in the pelvic area, the same as they do on land. They receive feedback from the feet and ankles which allows them to adjust their form. In deep water, exercisers must achieve alignment between their center of gravity and their center of buoyancy, located mid-chest, with no information from their feet to tell them where they are in space. This can decrease body awareness, resulting in instability. A flotation belt attached to the body’s trunk can provide feedback, as well as engage the core muscles, and help the body maintain neutral alignment. Without neutral alignment, the body is at risk for injury. Exercising in neutral vertical alignment increases surface area which creates more resistance, allows exercisers to achieve more powerful movements, and burns more calories.

One of the best known forms of deep-water exercise is deep-water running, which has been studied extensively. The research shows that deep-water running helps prevent injury, improves balance, improves cardiorespiratory fitness, improves mobility, and reduces pain. Beyond running, deep-water exercise offers a variety of exercise options. Most exercises are done in the vertical position, but you can also use a diagonal tilt to the side, go side-lying, lean forward 45 degrees, get in a seated position or go into a pike position. Accelerating the arms and legs to center lifts the shoulders out of the water. Travel uses a variety of arm motions that require upper body strength. A number of exercises take advantage of the pool wall. There are not as many formats as with shallow water, but they include deep-water aerobics, high intensity interval training, circuit classes, and strength training. There are some kickboxing moves, Pilates exercises, and Yoga poses that can be done in deep water. The Arthritis Foundation suggests going to the deep end with a flotation belt if you have arthritis in the spine or shoulders. Ai Chi can be modified for deep water. See Ruth Sova’s book Ai Chi: The Water Way to Health & Healing, page 82, for my deep water modifications.

Noodles
Foam Dumbbells
Aqualogix Bells
Resistance tubing
Webbed Gloves

Hand-held equipment used in the deep end needs to float, otherwise it may sink to the bottom of the pool if the exerciser loses her grip. There are many types of equipment do float, including buoyant equipment such as noodles and foam dumbbells; drag equipment such as Aqualogix bells, and resistance tubing. Webbed gloves are worn on the hands and are not in danger of sinking. There are some great articles on deep water by Beth Scalone, MacKenzie Barr, Lori Sherlock, Whitney Kessie, and one by me on hand-held resistance equipment, in the December-February 2024 issue of Akwa magazine. Access Akwa on the members only section of the AEA website. There is also information on deep water, including lesson plans for cardio, intervals and strength training (with and without equipment) in my books Water Fitness Progressions and Water Fitness Lesson Plans and Choreography. I am a fan of deep water exercise!

See you in the pool!

Author/Instructor Photo
Chris Alexander

Benefits of water fitness / deep water

The Benefits of Exercising in Shallow Water

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Water fitness classes are offered all over the world. There is a multitude of different kinds of classes that instructors can choose from, and many of these are in shallow water. These include water walking, shallow-water aerobics, high intensity interval training, aqua step aerobics, aqua kickboxing, Aquapole Fitness (which includes a boxing bag), AQUA Drums Vibes, underwater treadmill, underwater bicycle, circuit classes, strength training, Senior Fitness (the Seniors I know get unhappy if you don’t work them hard enough), Aqua Barre, Aqua Pilates, Aqua Yoga, Arthritis Foundation programs, and Ai Chi. What are the benefits of putting all these formats in the pool?

Just getting in the pool lowers blood pressure for most people. The hydrostatic pressure of the water pushes blood out to the extremities, increasing stroke volume and cardiac output, while at the same time lowering the heart rate. Immersion offloads the joints, making movement more comfortable. When joints are submerged in water, they have a greater range of motion. Water also offers resistance, requiring the exerciser to apply more force to their movements. The resistance is in all directions, which promotes muscle balance. Since the water is a dynamic resistant force, the more force that is applied, the more resistance the water offers. Pool temperatures are typically 12-18 degrees cooler than body temperature, and water conducts heat away from the body, so exercisers remain cool and comfortable during exertion. Buoyancy creates a feeling of weightlessness, which is perceived as fun by most exercisers. All of these benefits apply no matter what exercise format you are using.

There is a misconception that exercise in water does not burn as many calories as exercise on land. Of course, the number of calories burned depends on many things including how hard the exerciser works, but given the same amount of effort, an exerciser will burn a comparable number of calories in water as on land, and sometimes even more. Dennis Dolny, Ph.D. reports his research on burning calories through water exercise in the Water Immersion Works guidebook, which can be downloaded on the PlayCore website. The Mayo Clinic also lists an estimated number of calories burned for various activities, and water aerobics compares favorably to other forms of exercise.

Water exercise is usually discounted as an acceptable form of exercise for people with osteoporosis because buoyancy reduces the impact compared to land based exercise. But research on water exercise and osteoporosis is ongoing and has found that shallow water exercise can slow the rate of bone loss and improve bone mineral density. Recommended exercises include jumping/rebounding, strength training and using power or force against the water’s resistance. In addition, the research has noted outcomes of improved strength, flexibility, balance and adherence. The best exercise is the one you can stick with! For more information, see Lori Sherlock’s article in AEA’s first quarter 2024 issue of Leader Tools.

Shallow water is the perfect place to work on balance. People who have fallen are often afraid of falling again and they limit balancing activities on land to minimize the risk of falling, further decreasing functionality. But in the pool, the hydrostatic pressure and buoyancy of the water is supportive, reducing the fear of falling. At the same time, water constantly moves, destabilizing movement and requiring multiple adjustments to maintain balance. Good exercises for improving balance are weight shifting, gait training, postural strength training, use of various foot positions, and one-legged movements. If there are muscle imbalances, these can also be addressed in the pool. For more information, check out the Water Exercise Coach blog post and video.

Finally, every type of equipment made for water fitness can be used in shallow water. That includes buoyant equipment such as noodles and foam dumbbells; drag equipment such as webbed gloves, Aqualogix bells, paddles and Aqua Ohm; resistance tubing; steps; drum sticks and more. There are options to please everyone. Shallow water exercise is definitely not just for little old ladies in shower caps!

  • Noodles
  • Foam Dumbbells
  • Webbed Gloves
  • Aqualogix Bells
  • Paddles
  • Aqua Ohn
  • Resistance tubing
  • Aqua Step
  • Drum Sticks
Author/Instructor Photo
Chris Alexander

See you in the pool!

Aquatic Equipment / Benefits of water fitness / shallow water

New Year’s Resolution: Exercise

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According to the Statista Global Consumer Survey the Top New Year’s Resolution for 2023 is to exercise more. We all know that exercise is good for us, but we also know that New Year’s Resolutions are frequently broken. Why do people so often stop exercising? According to an article in Diabetes in Control, the reasons are (1) A perceived lack of time, (2) Exercise related injuries and (3) Exercise is not fun (which is often due to starting at an exercise intensity that is too high for their fitness level). Here are some suggestions to deal with each of these problems:

(1) A perceived lack of time. People who successfully incorporate exercise into their lives often dedicate a specific time in their schedule for working out. They plan to exercise at 9:00 AM 3 times a week, or at 6:30 PM after work on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Then they don’t schedule anything else for those times. An easy way to do this is to sign up for a class that is offered at the time that is most convenient for you. People don’t often think of water exercise as an option in January, but exercising in an indoor heated pool has its advantages over going for a jog outdoors in cold weather in the dark. According to an article in Healthy Body at Home, it takes an average of 59-66 days to create a new habit, so make an effort to stick with your class for 2 months.

(2) Exercise related injuries. The hydrostatic pressure of the water slows movement down, which greatly reduces the risk of injury during water exercise. It also reduces the risk of falling. Accidents can happen anywhere though, so make sure your pool is staffed with lifeguards.

(3) Exercise is not fun. Do you remember how much fun you had playing in the water as a child? For many people, water exercise brings back that sense of fun. At the same time you can achieve intensity levels that allow you to meet your fitness goals. That means it is possible to start at an exercise intensity that is too high for your fitness level, which can be discouraging. Instead it is a good idea to start at a moderate level (you could do this for a long time), and progress to working somewhat hard (you are starting to feel it), and then hard (making an effort to keep up), before progressing to very hard with high intensity intervals.

Here are some guidelines to help you work through these progressions. In shallow water the base moves are walk, jog, kick, rocking horse, cross-country ski, and jumping jacks. Walking is good for warming up and cooling down. Jog, kick, rocking horse, cross-country ski, and jumping jacks all have multiple variations. (1) Jog. You can jog with the feet hip distance apart or wide. You can cross the midline in front with an inner thigh lift or cross the midline in back with hopscotch. You can lift the knees in front or the heels in back. (2) Kick. You can kick forward, kick across the midline, kick side to side, or kick backward. (3) Rocking horse. Rocking horse can be done front to back or side to side. (4) Cross-country ski, jumping jacks and all the base moves can be varied by using different arm movements or different foot positions. While performing these moves, your heart rate and breathing rate should increase noticeably. Your muscles will feel like they are working, but you could maintain this level for a while before having to stop. You may compare this to a brisk walk.

Increase the Range of Motion. When working at a moderate pace becomes easier, it’s time to go to the next stage. Large moves take more effort than smaller moves. Increasing the range of motion increases the intensity to somewhat hard. Get the knees high in your jog and pump the arms in big movements. Start your inner thigh lift with the feet wide apart and lift the inner thigh high. Start your hopscotch with the feet wide too. Kick higher – front, side or back. Lift your knees high in front and your heels high in back with your rocking horse. Perform cross-country ski with your full range of motion. Take your feet as wide as possible in your jumping jacks and cross the legs in the center. Focus on achieving your full, pain-free range of motion. At this level your heart rate, breathing pattern and muscles are telling you that you are working hard. You have to breathe through your mouth since nose breathing is not enough to give you the oxygen you need. You are past the point of feeling like you could do the exercise all day.

Add Speed. When increasing the range of motion becomes more comfortable, it’s time to add speed. Faster moves increase the intensity level to hard. The tendency, however, is to decrease the range of motion as speed is increased. You work much harder if you maintain the same full range of motion while speeding up. Pay attention to what you are doing to avoid slowing down. Your heart is pounding, you are breathing hard and you would rather breathe than talk. You can only say 2-3 words before you have to take a breath. This intensity is not comfortable and cannot be maintained for a long time.

Add Acceleration. Once your body gets used to working hard, it’s time to push it up to very hard by adding acceleration to your moves. There are two ways to add acceleration. (1) Accelerate off the pool floor, or jump. Take your jog to a leap and your wide jog to a frog jump. Perform your inner thigh lift and hopscotch with a rebound. Rebound with your kicks as well. Jump and tuck your feet under you with cross-country ski. With jumping jacks, jump and touch your heels together before landing with your feet wide apart. (2) Accelerate against the water’s resistance, or add more force to the move. Take your jog to a steep climb by stretching out your arms and pressing alternate hands down while at the same time lifting the knees high and then pressing the heels down toward the pool floor, as if climbing a steep mountain with trekking poles. Lift your inner thigh with power as you press the opposite hand down forcefully toward the thigh. Perform a high kick powering the leg on the downward phase or power both upward and downward. Kick side to side with arms and legs opposite, adding power to the move. Instead of rebounding as you kick side to side, you can stay grounded, and you might be surprised at how hard it is. Karate front kicks and side kicks also involve using force against the water. Kicks backward, cross-country ski and jumping jacks can all be performed with power. Try the cross-country ski low in the water so that more of your body must push against the water’s resistance. Be mindful about what you are doing because the harder you push against the water, the harder the water pushes back. Forget talking at this level. You may be able to belt out one word at a time, but you don’t want to because breathing is your goal. Your muscles are screaming for oxygen and therefore your breathing pattern and heart rate is rapid. This intensity level is reserved for shorter intervals, and you are so glad that there is a limit.

This description of aquatic exercise intensity levels comes from the Aquatic Fitness Professional Manual. Lesson plans that demonstrate how to progress through these intensity levels can be found in Water Fitness Progressions. Good luck with your New Year’s Resolution to exercise more. See you in the pool!

Author/Instructor Photo
Chris Alexander

Benefits of water fitness / New Year's Resolutions / Water Fitness Progressions

Train Your Brain

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Of all the things I might lose as I age, the scariest one is losing my brain health. Worldwide, more than 54 million people had Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in 2020, according to the American Heart Association, and that number is expected to grow. The Aquatic Exercise Association listed 10 early signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s in their 2nd Quarter 2022 issue of Leader Tools:

  1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life.
  2. Challenges in planning or problem solving.
  3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks.
  4. Confusion with time or place.
  5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships.
  6. New problems with words in speaking or writing.
  7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps.
  8. Decreased or poor judgement.
  9. Withdrawal from work or social activities.
  10. Changes in mood or personality.

If there is anything that can be done to prevent or delay the onset of dementia, I definitely want to do it! Scientists long believed that the brain was not capable of producing new neurons, but modern research has revealed that the hippocampus, the part of the brain that allows learning, is capable of generating new cells throughout adult life. The ability of the brain to change and grow is called neuroplasticity. John J. Ratey, MD and Eric Hagerman published a book in 2008 called SPARK: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. They discussed the research that had been done which shows that aerobic exercise helps the brain as much as it helps the heart. Aerobic exercise stimulates the release of the substance known as brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) which sets in motion the growth of new synaptic connections and bolsters the strength of signals transmitted from neuron to neuron. A study by Dr. Aron Buchman done at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago was published in the Journal of Neurology. He followed 535 individuals, with an average age of 81, for an average of six years, testing their cognitive functions (thought processes and memory) each year. After their deaths, the researchers took note of the BDNF levels in the brain. The subjects who had exercised had the highest levels of BDNF, and they experienced a 50 percent slower loss of cognitive functions compared with those who had the lowest BDNF levels.

Studies have shown that immersion in water relaxes the blood vessels, which facilitates an increase in the cardiac output of blood throughout the body, including the muscles working during exercise, and the brain. In a 2015 booklet entitled Water Immersion Works, Dr. Bruce Becker, the director of the National Aquatics & Sports Medicine Institute in Spokane, Washington, noted that anecdotal evidence suggests that time spent in the swimming pool has a beneficial effect on people with dementia. Individuals in a study showed improved speech and language function, improved balance and agility, and improved cognitive and memory function, an improvement that persisted after their sessions in the pool.

What about those computer games and puzzles that claim “doctors beg their patients to play these games” in order to keep their brains young? Research has found that these computer games and activities such as Sudoku and crossword puzzles are not as beneficial as originally thought. However, there is neuroplasticity training that can be combined with physical movement to strengthen, improve and even change some brain regions. Putting those neuroplasticity drills into a water fitness class is like using all the tools in your toolbox for reducing the risk of dementia. So how does this work?

Lawrence Biscontini, MA, has been involved in brain training since 1972. As an Advisory Board Member for the International Council on Active Aging, and as an active ager himself, Biscontini dedicates a great deal of time to making practical the most recent research on keeping our brains as young and sharp as possible. Check his website for information on his workshops and to read some of his articles. Below are some examples of neuroplasticity drills to perform out loud (to get more senses involved) while doing exercises in the pool such as jogging, jumping jacks, cross-country ski or any other combination of exercises.

  • Spell your first name forwards and backwards
  • Say the names of the months backwards starting with December and skipping every other month (December, October, August…)
  • Count down from 100 by 3s
  • Teach participants a word in any other language; repeat it and spell it 7 times
  • Say out loud (the whole class together) your first memory, first birthday party, how you met your first friend or some other long term memory
  • Recite the digits of your phone number forward and backward
  • Add the digits of your phone number together, two at a time
  • Give the class math problems to solve (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division)
  • Give each of 5 exercises a number, and call out the number instead of the name of the exercise
  • Spell the name of your state, adding the next letter after each letter, e.g. T (U) E (F) X (Y) A (B) S (T) for Texas
  • When performing an exercise, such as a lunge, with the right leg name a fruit, and with the left leg name a vegetable
  • Name as many green vegetables, cold drinks, names beginning with the letter R, birds, car makes or any other list you can think of

You can have a lot of fun coming up with neuroplasticity drills for your class and your class will have a lot of fun trying to imagine what you will come up with next. You will also be helping them to keep their brain health and reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s. That’s a win for everyone!

See you in the pool!

Author/Instructor Photo
Chris Alexander

Benefits of water fitness / Brain health / Neuroplasticity

Osteoporosis and Water Exercise

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Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by loss of bone mass. The image on the left illustrates normal bone and the image on the right illustrates osteoporosis. A loss of bone mass increases the risk of fractures. Osteoporosis affects more than 10 million adults in the United States. The lifetime risk for a fracture due to osteoporosis is 40-50% for women and 13-22% for men. It used to be thought that osteoporosis is a normal part of aging, but it is now understood to be preventable and treatable. The strategies to reduce fracture risk include adequate combined intake of calcium and vitamin D, medications, weight bearing and/or resistance exercise, avoiding tobacco use, moderate alcohol use, and reducing the risk of falls.

The kind of weight bearing exercise recommended by the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF) includes high impact exercise such as tennis, running and jumping rope, and low impact exercise such as using an elliptical machine and fast walking. The kind of resistance exercise recommended includes using free weights, elastic bands or body weight. Water exercise is not listed among the recommended exercise. The buoyancy of water seems to be responsible for the idea that exercise in water has no impact and therefore is not beneficial for the prevention or management of osteoporosis. Research on water exercise and osteoporosis has been ongoing since the 1990’s and the evidence increasingly shows that water exercise can indeed be included in the toolbox. Nineteen studies were referenced in an article written by Flavia Yazigi PhD and Mushi Harushi MS entitled “Aquatic Exercise Against Osteoporosis.” It appeared originally in Akwa magazine published by the Aquatic Exercise Association (AEA) in April/May 2016; it was updated in 2019. AEA published four articles on the latest research in various issues of Akwa magazine in 2021. To read the articles you have to be a member of AEA. To join, click on the link to their website and then you can access past issues of Akwa. Below is a sampling of the findings written up in these articles.

Kimberly Huff, MS in her article “HIT It Before You Break It” in the April/May 2021 issue of Akwa, notes that the strength of bone tissue is dependent on the amount of stress placed on the bones. Muscles are attached to bones, so the more forceful the muscle contraction, the more stress on the bones. A combination of high impact training and high intensity resistance training has the greatest effect on bone density, as noted by the BHOF. A combination of high impact aquatic jump training, such as vertical and lateral jumps, tuck jumps and ankle hops, or high intensity interval training (HIIT) in which participants worked at near maximal effort, plus high intensity resistance training performed in water showed improvements in bone density and muscular strength and power nearly as effective as land-based training. Maximal effort was determined using either perceived exertion or by requiring participants to keep pace with a set cadence. Information on aquatic exercises to use for interval training and how to progress them to high intensity is available in my book Water Fitness Progressions. Resistance training should focus on the hip, spine and forearm as those are the areas of the body most susceptible to fractures. Squats, lunges, leg extensions, leg curls, hip extensions, chest presses, shoulder presses, biceps curls and triceps extensions address these areas.

Flavia Yazigi PhD lead a study (Yazigi at al., 2019) that looked at deep water exercise and found that it offers benefits to individuals with osteoporosis when the workout is based on aerobic and resistance exercises. The entire body, except for the head, is subjected to constant hydrostatic pressure in deep water. Water resistance acts in the opposite direction of body motion, therefore greater muscle activity is required. Muscular strengthening is enhanced, particularly when near maximal effort is exerted.

Eduardo Netto, MS, in his article “Osteoporosis – Can Exercise Help?” in the June/July 2021 Issue of Akwa, points out that there is no one specific exercise protocol suitable for everyone. Young or healthy people may engage in activities with high loads such as tennis, running and jumping rope, but older people may need to increase their level of exercise with activities with less impact, such as walking, complemented with resistance exercise using free weights. Since aquatic exercise has presented numerous benefits for the maintenance and prevention of osteoporosis, individuals have the option of choosing the exercise mode that most appeals to them. Interestingly, several studies have observed higher participation in aquatic exercise compared to land-based exercise. The best exercise is, of course, the one you do frequently.

Alex Mong, a student at West Virginia University studying exercise physiology, in his article “Balance Is Key: Aquatic Exercise to Improve Bone Mineral Density” in the June/July 2021 issue of Akwa, points out that falls which can lead to fractures are an issue for people with osteoporosis. According to the National Council on Aging, 1 in 4 Americans over the age of 65 falls each year. Improving balance is the most important thing that can be done to reduce the risk of falling. However, once someone has fallen and broken a bone, they often become inactive out of fear of falling again. Exercise in water reduces the risk of injury from falling while exercising. It also helps with balance because the buoyancy and viscosity of water makes participants who are afraid of falling feel more secure. There are many exercises that can be done in water to improve balance, such as gait training, hip and trunk stabilization, muscular strengthening, exercises focusing on the ankles, and unpredictable commands to improve reaction time.

Brianna Martinez, BS, Eric Leslie, MS, and Len Kravitz, PhD wrote “Exercise for Bone Health: What Can Aquatic Exercise Do?” in the December 2021/January 2022 issue of Akwa. They summarized nine research studies done in the past decade on osteoporosis and water exercise. The authors conclude that research shows water exercise improves bone mineral density, which makes aquatic exercise an exciting alternative to traditional resistance training and land-based exercise for bone health.

The Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation may not have any information on water exercise on their website, but they have a lot of additional information about osteoporosis for both healthcare providers and patients. Click on the link to check it out. There are also support groups for people with osteoporosis. Bone Buddies is a free support group that meets on the second Saturday of each month on Zoom at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time. To attend a meeting, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83301196518 The meeting ID is 833 0119 6518. The Passcode is Unity. For more information, you can contact the facilitator, Elaine Henderson, at esenderson214@gmail.com

See you in the pool!

Author/Instructor Photo
Chris Alexander

Benefits of water fitness / Osteoporosis