Aquatic Exercise. How much do you know?

On my recent quest of trying to brainstorm new material to post  my brain somehow took me back to an interesting course I did in my B.Sc programme..... Hydrotherapy. So I've decided to clear the air on some common misconceptions about this very beneficial but often overlooked form of training.


Hydrotherapy as defined by WebMd is the use of water to treat a disease or maintain health. Even though this form of training is not very popular in Jamaica there are many benefits to water based training. And NO you don't have to be suffering from an illness to participate in aquatic exercises.


Top 5 benefits of Aquatic exercises (hydrotherapy): -

• Increase Endurance- Research has shown that persons who have undergone water based exercise training for 6 months showed improvements in their cardiovascular function. One of the basic mechanisms behind this that during training chest wall movement (lung expansion) is resisted by the water which then causes you to exert more energy which will in turn force your respiratory muscles to work harder thus making them stronger.

• Increase Muscle strength- Much like the muscles of your chest wall all other muscles that are engaged during training have to work against the resistance provided by the water. Additionally Water ankle weights and dumbbells may also be in-cooperated in the training to provide added resistance as you get stronger (forget some of those bulky machines in the gym). Find similar ones here  

           

• Increases your flexibility- Generally, warmer temperatures cause an increase in blood flow and extensibility of muscle fibers. 

• Decreases load on weight bearing joints- Simply put your weight bearing joints aren't loaded with all your body weight while immersed in water. Thus decreasing the stress impact placed on these joints (spine, hips, knees and ankles) as seen in land based exercise; (making aquatic exercises great for arthritic patients or anyone suffering from lower limb joint problems) this is primarily due to buoyancy.

•  Reduces blood pressure- Overtime just like any other resistance and cardio training programme once you remain consistent with training for at least 3 months you may begin to  notice a reduction in your resting and training blood pressures.

There you have it! If ever you feel like kick starting your cardio workout or you just need to diversify your training. Don't forget Aquatic exercises. You can ask around or check online for classes close to you. 

Feel free to share your aquatic exercise experience or any concerns you may have in the comments below.

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References

Hydrotherapy - Topic Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2017, from 

https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/tc/hydrotherapy-topic-overview