Category: water fitness

How Hard Are You Working?

itemprop="discussionURL"1

It’s a brand new year and many of us made a resolution to exercise more. We all know that exercise has many benefits for our hearts and lungs. Did you know that it also reduces your risk of dementia later in life? The best exercise is one that you will actually do, so pick something that you enjoy. For me, that is water exercise, hands down!

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 30-60 minutes of moderate intensity exercise five days a week, or 20-30 minutes of vigorous exercise three days a week. So it is important to know how hard you are working. That’s not so easy in the pool. Immersion in water relaxes your blood vessels so that stroke volume increases, that is, your heart pumps more blood to the working muscles with each beat than it would on land. Hydrostatic pressure compresses all body systems, including the blood vessels, which means the heart doesn’t have to work as hard to return blood from the limbs back to the heart. Therefore your heart uses fewer beats per minute while exercising in water (called your aquatic deduction) than the equivalent intensity on land. You can measure your heart rate on land and in water and use formulas to determine your target heart rate. All that is too much trouble for most people, including me. Instead, many of us wear fitness watches. These do not take your aquatic deduction into account to accurately tell you how hard you are working, but they can tell you whether your heart rate is increasing or decreasing. I use my fitness watch to give me a general idea and then combine that with a rating of perceived exertion.

The Rating of Perceived Exertion is a method of assessing effort, strain, discomfort, or fatigue experienced during exercise. Research has shown that although this method is subjective, it is fairly accurate. The Aquatic Exercise Intensity Scale was developed to take into consideration the unique aspects of training in water. it uses a scale of 1-10 to help assess intensity levels.

  1. No effort at all (lying down).
  2. Extremely little. Your heart rate is near resting.
  3. Very easy. You are comfortable but breathing a bit harder.
  4. Easy. You are working a little bit, and you could do this all day without any problems.
  5. Somewhat easy. You are working a little harder, but you can still talk easily and sing.
  6. Moderate. Your breathing has increased at a noticeable level. You can still talk, but not sing.
  7. Somewhat hard. You now have to breathe through your mouth. You can still talk, but you don’t really want to.
  8. Hard. Your heart is pounding. You can grunt in response to questions, but you can only keep this pace a short time.
  9. Very hard. Your breathing is rapid and so is your heart rate. You can’t do this much longer.
  10. Maximum effort. All you can think about is how much you would like to stop because you can’t go any further.

If you are wanting to do 30-60 minutes of moderate intensity exercise five days a week, you would work at level 6 to 7. To work at level 6, use long levers at full range of motion. To work at level 7, increase the speed of your movements without decreasing the range of motion. If you are wanting to do 20-30 minutes of vigorous exercise three days a week, you would work at level 7 to 8. To work at level 8, add acceleration and power to your movements.

If you are just starting out. It is common to go all out in your enthusiasm to begin a fitness routine. But if you have not exercised for a long time, you can easily overdo it, and suffer from muscle soreness, fatigue or even sustain an injury. It is better to focus on form (maintaining good alignment) and performing the exercises correctly at first. Work at a somewhat easy level. After you have gotten comfortable with that, then start to increase your intensity gradually. Your goal is to make your exercise routine a life long commitment.

For more information on measuring intensity, see Lori Sherlock’s video on Wavemakers. If you want to dive deeper into the subject, see page 11 in the new AEA Aquatic Fitness Professional Manual. For lesson plans that progress from Moderate to Somewhat Hard to Hard or Very Hard, see my book Water Fitness Progressions.

See you in the pool!

Author/Instructor Photo

Chris Alexander

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

New Year's Resolutions / water fitness

Everyday Alchemy: Turning Tiny Habits into Lasting Well-Being

itemprop="discussionURL"0

Guest Blogger Kimberly N. Bryant, Depressed.biz

If you’re like most people, you don’t wake up thinking, Today, I’m going to overhaul my life. You just want to feel a little better — to move through your day with more energy, more joy, and maybe a little less mindless scrolling. The truth is, well-being isn’t a grand, impossible summit to climb. It’s the collection of small choices you make over and over. When you know where to lean in, you create a life that feels a lot better without blowing up the one you already have.

Start with Morning Rituals That Belong to You

Your day starts before your feet even hit the floor. How you wake up — not just when, but how — shapes your mental landscape. If you’re reaching for your phone while half-asleep, you’re borrowing someone else’s chaos before you’ve even made your own coffee. Instead, create a morning ritual that’s yours. A few deep breaths, a journal scribble, or even five minutes of stretching can act like a seal around your peace before the world barges in.

Reinvent Your Path with Purpose

Sometimes well-being demands a bigger move — like stepping away from a career that leaves you feeling hollow. If you’re dreaming about making a change, the good news is that online degree programs make it easier than ever to earn your degree while still working full-time or caring for family. Choosing to pursue a path in healthcare can be especially meaningful, allowing you to make a lasting impact on the health of individuals and families. You can explore a range of online healthcare degree opportunities that fit your schedule and your desire to build a life that matters.

Build “Micro-Movements” into Your Routine

You don’t have to spend an hour at the gym to say you’ve moved today. Some of the healthiest, happiest people treat movement like seasoning: they sprinkle it all over their lives. A few squats while waiting for your coffee, a short walk during your lunch break, even a quick dance while brushing your teeth — these tiny bursts of movement tell your body it’s alive and celebrated. Momentum builds through micro-movements, not marathon sessions.

Understand the Power of Intentional Eating

Eating well isn’t about discipline; it’s about design. When you stock your kitchen with foods you love and that love you back, you’re choosing nourishment over negotiation. Start thinking about meals as tiny self-care packages rather than battles to be won. A handful of blueberries, a slice of good bread with real butter, a crisp apple — those small, joyful choices add up faster than you think, and they keep your energy clean and steady throughout the day.

Find Your Own Water

One of the most overlooked yet powerful ways to rejuvenate your mind and body is simple: get in the water. Water fitness isn’t just for competitive swimmers or senior center classes — it’s an energizing, full-body reset that anyone can embrace. If you’re curious but a little unsure where to start, check out the Plano Parks and Recreation online catalogue and put Water Aerobics in the search bar. Chris Alexander’s shallow water aerobics class is at 6:30 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Oak Point Recreation Center. Her deep water classes are at 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM at Oak Point. The next 4-week session begins May 5. You can register now or up to 2 weeks into the session. Late registrations are pro-rated. Registrations for the summer sessions begin May 3 for Plano residents and May 5 for non-residents. Summer classes begin June 2. Chris’s 8:00 deep water class moves to 7:45 AM in June and July. There are lots of other options offered by the Plano Parks and Recreation Department. Check out Aqua Spin, Aqua Yoga, Board Water Fitness or River Aerobics. You can also buy a membership and visit Oak Point Recreation Center or the Plano Aquatic Center during open swim hours. Floating, stretching, even just walking through water can turn a heavy day into something weightless.

Curate a “Feel-Good” Library

Your brain needs fuel just like your body does, but it doesn’t always get a say in what you shove into it. One way to quietly improve your mood and outlook is to curate a library of books, music, podcasts, or even Instagram accounts that genuinely lift you up. Instead of defaulting to whatever algorithm is shouting loudest, build your own private stash of inspiration. Five minutes with a poem you love can heal a part of you that no productivity hack ever could.

Create Spaces That Breathe with You

You don’t need to live inside an Architectural Digest spread to feel good at home. What matters most is that your space supports your energy rather than sapping it. Clear a small area that feels like a refuge — a corner for reading, a nook for yoga, even just a chair by a window. Give yourself somewhere you can land without judgment. When your physical spaces feel nurturing, it ripples into every other part of your well-being.

Commit to “Off” Moments Without Guilt

You’re not a machine, and you don’t need to justify resting. One of the most radical acts of well-being you can offer yourself is the ability to stop — on purpose, without apology. This isn’t laziness; it’s maintenance. Even two minutes of real, conscious stopping — no phone, no TV, just you breathing and being — can change your internal weather forecast from stormy to clear. Give yourself permission to live like someone who matters, because you do.


At the end of the day, well-being isn’t a product you can order or a lifestyle you have to post about. It’s the texture of your ordinary days. It’s your coffee in a favorite mug, your ten-minute walk that nobody sees, your decision to drink water because you love how it tastes, not because someone told you to. You don’t have to become a brand-new person overnight. You just have to love yourself enough to believe small moves matter. Because they do. Every time.

Thanks, Kimberly! Check out my article on her blog site, Depression and Water Exercise.

See you in the pool!

Author/Instructor Photo
Chris Alexander

Go back

Your message has been sent

Health information / water fitness

What Muscles Need Strengthening?

itemprop="discussionURL"0
muscles of the upper body posterior - ModernHeal.com

The quick answer to the question is: strengthen the muscles that are used the least. Most of those muscles are on the back (posterior) side of our body because the movements we make are usually in front (anterior) where we can see what we are doing. The muscles of our joints are primarily organized in pairs. One muscle bends (flexes) the joint, its pair straightens (extends) the joint. The muscle in front usually does the flexion. The muscle in back usually does the extension. The exception is the knee joint, where the muscle in back does the flexion and the muscle in front does the extension. When one of the muscles contracts, its muscle pair is stretched. You can easily see that if we are contracting the muscles in front more often, then they become stronger than the muscles in back that get stretched more often. The main muscle pairs are:

  • Anterior deltoid and posterior deltoid – front and back of the shoulder joint
  • Biceps and triceps – front and back of the elbow joint
  • Rectus abdominis (abs) and erector spinae – front and back of the lumbar spine (the erector spinae is not labeled in the picture above because it is underneath the other muscles of the back)
  • Iliopsoas (hip flexors) and gluteus maximus – front and back of the hip joint (the iliopsoas is not labeled in the picture because it is a deep muscle on the front of the hip)
  • Hip adductors (inner thigh) and abductors (outer thigh) – inside and outside of the hip joint (the adductors are not labeled)
  • Quadriceps and hamstrings – front and back of the hip joint and the knee joint
  • Tibialis anterior (shin) and gastrocnemius (calf) – front and back of the ankle joint

In a water fitness class we can exercise the posterior deltoid by doing a breaststroke or an arm swing with emphasis on swinging to the back. We can exercise the triceps by pressing the water down toward the floor. We can exercise the erector spinae by traveling backward. We can exercise the gluteus maximus with a skate kick (a straight leg kick to the back) and with cross-country ski emphasizing the backward motion. We can exercise the abductors with wide leg jog, kicks side to side and jumping jacks, emphasizing the motion out to the side. We can exercise the hamstrings with heel jog (hamstring curls) and skateboard. The tibialis anterior is weaker than the gastrocnemius; we exercise the shins in the pool when we do knee lifts or jog with the feet flexed because we are lifting water with the top of the foot every time we lift the knee.

Another muscle group that needs strengthening is the trapezius, rhomboids and latissimus dorsi (lats). The rhomboids are not shown because they are in the center of the upper back beneath the trapezius. These muscles are important for posture. As we age, we tend to get rounded shoulders and our head falls forward. We can avoid some of this by keeping those postural muscles strong. Exercise the trapezius and rhomboids with a shoulder blade squeeze, upright row and crawl stroke. Exercise the latissimus dorsi with a lat pull-down (jumping jacks arms) emphasizing the downward motion and by touching the palms (or finger tips) behind the back.

Although it is typical to exercise all the muscles in an aquatic strength training class, it is a good idea to sometimes focus more on the muscles that need strengthening. Afterwards you may want to stretch the stronger muscles which tend to be tighter since they don’t get stretched as much, particularly the hip flexors, inner thigh, quadriceps and calf muscles.

It is very difficult to find a good clip art picture that clearly shows all the muscles. If you are interested in learning more about the muscles, go to pages 25-36 in the AEA Aquatic Fitness Professional Manual, or find a good anatomy book. There is more information about aquatic strength training, including lesson plans, in my book Water Fitness Progressions.

See you in the pool!

Author/Instructor Photo
Chris Alexander

Go back

Your message has been sent

Strength training / water fitness

Celebrate the Holidays with Your Class

itemprop="discussionURL"0
Santa Claus wish card at the pool | Etsy

As the holiday season approaches, it is time to plan for a little holiday fun with your water fitness class. Start by breaking out the holiday music. If you don’t have a holiday playlist, you can download one from any of the fitness music companies. Yes Fitness Music, Power Music, and Muscle Mix Music all sell holiday mixes. (On the Muscle Mix Music website type “Holiday” next to the magnifying glass.) If the playlist you like is not the right beats per minute for your class, then download the Tempo Magic app from the app store. It adjusts the tempo of your playlist without making it sound too draggy or too fast.

You might want to give your class participants a holiday treat at the end of the last class for the year. Some easy gift ideas are candy canes, a Clementine orange, or a Christmas ornament. Pretzel Hugs are an easy treat to make. Or mix up a batch of White Christmas Mix and give everyone a small baggie full.

WHITE CHRISTMAS MIX

  • 1 10 oz. package mini pretzels
  • 2 cups salted peanuts
  • 5 cups Cheerios cereal
  • 5 cups Chex cereal
  • 1 lb. red & green M&Ms
  • 1 (12 oz.) package white chocolate chips
  • 3 teaspoons oil

Mix the first 5 ingredients. Melt chips and oil in the microwave. Pour over the mixture. Spread on wax paper. Makes about 24 cups.

Plan to have a fun class activity, like a Holiday Obstacle Course. Set up stations like a circuit around the pool in advance. Then divide your class into two groups. Group one will be helpers while the second group runs through the obstacle course. After the second group completes the course, they become the helpers while the first group runs through.

Station One
Station Two
Station Three
Station Four

Station One. Cross-country ski to the North Pole using Aqualogix Bells. If you do not have drag bells, you can use foam dumbbells or paddles.

Station Two. Make snow angels by performing jumping jacks with foam dumbbells.

Station Three. Decorate the tree. Cut some pieces of an old noodle that has a hole in the middle. Slice the pieces lengthwise just to the hole. Attach the pieces to a hula hoop so that it will float, as in the photo. If you don’t have a hula hoop, you can rubber band the ends of three noodles together to make a triangle. A helper has pool toys or balls in a bucket, and the participant stands some distance away and tries to toss the toys into the hoop.

Station Four. Stir the cookie dough. Hold a paddle in the freehold position and perform a stirring motion. If you do not have paddles, then you can paddlewheel like an electric mixer with foam dumbbells instead.

Station Five. Test the bicycles in the toy shop. Straddle a noodle and bicycle some distance away and back.

Station Six. Load Santa’s sleigh. Have two or three helpers stand in a line each holding a ball. The participant tosses a ball back and forth a few times with each helper.

Station Seven. Pull Santa’s sleigh. A helper plays Santa by holding the ends of two noodles under his/her arms. The participant stands with his/her back to Santa and pulls the sleigh to deliver the toys to the finish line.

Station Five
Station Six
Station Seven

This activity is sure to bring your participants lots of laughs and leave everyone in a holiday spirit. Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

See you in the pool!

Author/Instructor Photo
Chris Alexander

holiday ideas / water fitness

Primal Movements

itemprop="discussionURL"0

Functional fitness is training with exercises that look like movements you do in daily life. This type of exercise uses large muscle groups as opposed to focusing on an individual muscle. It makes sense to include this type of exercises in your fitness routine so that you can continue to get up and move and do all the things you enjoy. There are a variety of functional fitness exercises. Seven of them are called primal movements because they are the basis of every movement that you do. They are: squat, lunge, push, pull, rotate, hinge, and gait. Below are primal movements that you can do in the pool, along with how they relate to movements you do in everyday life.

Squat. A squat is a movement pattern where you plant both feet on the ground, then bend your knees to lower your body. Squats use your upper legs, particularly the quadriceps muscles. You can squat with feet hip distance apart, close together, wide apart, with toes pointed out, or toes pointed in. In deep water you mimic the squat by tucking and pressing the legs down or you can squat standing on a noodle. Squatting is the same as sitting down and getting up from a chair.

Lunge. A lunge is a single leg movement pattern that requires one leg to step forward and bend. Lunges strengthen your back, hips and legs while improving mobility and stability. You can do stationary lunges, in which you step forward and return to the starting position, or you can do walking lunges. Take a large step, lunging low in the water, followed by a step and lunge with the opposite leg. In deep water a tuck ski is a similar move. In daily life you lunge to pick something off the floor. You also do a lot of lunging if you play tennis or pickle ball.

Push. This is a movement pattern in which your upper body pushes you up from the ground, or pushes things away from your body. Pushing uses the chest, shoulders, triceps and forearms. The classic push exercise is a push-up, which you can perform in the pool, in either shallow or deep water, using a noodle or foam dumbbells. In shallow water you can balance on your toes while doing your push-ups, but you can also do them suspended. To push things away from your body, stand upright and push the water away. Increase the intensity by using drag equipment, such as webbed gloves, paddles or kickboards. In daily life you need the ability to push yourself up off the floor. You also push doors open, push shopping carts and baby strollers, and push (and pull) a vacuum cleaner. Which brings us to the next movement.

Pull. Pulling is the opposite of pushing. It requires your upper body to pull things toward your body, or pull your body towards an object, as in a pull-up. Pulling works your latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, posterior deltoids, and biceps, in other words, the muscles of your upper back. Common lifestyle habits, such as sitting at a desk all day, often results in rounded shoulders. Therefore, strengthening these muscles is important for maintaining good posture. You cannot do pull-ups in the pool, but you can perform pulling movements with rows, the crawl stroke and bow string pulls. Increase the intensity with webbed gloves, paddles, kickboards, elastic bands or rubber tubing. In daily life you pull carry-on luggage from the overhead bins in the airplane, pull the car door open, and pull (and push) the vacuum cleaner.

Rotate. Rotation, or twisting, is a core activated movement. It means reaching across the midline of your body. Since the right side of your brain controls the left side of your body, and the left side of the brain controls the right side of your body, crossing the midline of your body requires using both brain hemispheres, causing more neurons to fire and making more connections. Rotation works the abdominals and obliques, as well as involving the abductors and adductors in the legs. Pool exercises that involve rotation include upper body twists, cross-country ski with rotation, and crossover kicks. In daily life we rotate when we walk, run, swim, throw, kick. turn to look at someone, or reach for something that is not directly in front of us. People with osteoporosis may need to limit the range of motion when they rotate to avoid microfractures in the spine.

Hinge. Hinging or bending is a movement that involves bending at the hips while keeping your back in a neutral position (flat). Hinging uses the gluteus maximus, hamstrings and erector spinae. In the pool you can do a hip hinge by swinging one leg forward and back and bending forward as the leg swings back. You also hip hinge when you stretch your hamstrings. In deep water, abdominal pike and spine extension involves hinging at the hips. Sometimes when you pick up items from the floor in daily life, you use a lunge or a squat. But often when you drop something small, you just bend forward to pick it up. You may also find yourself leaning forward when climbing stairs or a steep hill, which is a slight hip hinge. Proper hinging maintains good posture, and strengthens the lower back.

Gait. Gait means walking. It is the most commonly used movement of all. Walking is a complex movement pattern using multiple muscle groups in both the lower body and the upper body. Any exercise where you have to put one foot in front of the other involves gait, and that includes not only walking, but jogging, running, sprinting, jumping and leaping. You can do all of these in the pool. In deep water you don’t jump or leap, but you do travel with cross-country ski. You use your arms in a natural arm swing, pulling with more force as speed increases. There is also a slight rotational movement as one arm swings forward and the other arm swings back. A strong gait improves posture and boosts the health of your lower body. A weak or shuffling gait puts you at risk for falling.

Include these primal movements in your fitness routine to keep your body functioning well so that you can continue to do all the activities of daily living that you enjoy. For more information on functional fitness check out the article “How to Exercise with Functional Training” from WebMD. For more information on primal movements see Stephanie Thielen’s article “7 Primal Movements” in the April/May 2017 issue of Akwa magazine. Log in to the members section of the AEA website at https://aeawave.org/ For lesson plans that include functional fitness exercises, see my book Water Fitness Progressions.

See you in the pool!

Author/Instructor Photo
Chris Alexander

Functional Fitness / water fitness