Aquatic Exercise

It’s been a pretty mild summer here in Sacramento thus far, even caught ourselves saying “its cold out here” last night. The possibility of hot August nights may be on the horizon though, which gives us plenty of time to get into the water. A great way to get your exercise and beat the heat is in the pool!

Many of us know about aquatic exercise but how many of us participate? There are many reasons that aquatic exercise can be beneficial. One of the primary benefits of exercising in water is buoyancy, meaning reduction of the amount of weight the body carries. This is especially helpful for people with joint pain, but can also be helpful for those with weakness or difficulty walking because of postural changes. When submerged up to your neck, buoyancy can reduce body weight by up to 90%, according to the Mayo Clinic Health System.  Buoyancy allows for the below benefits:

Joint Protection: By decreasing the impact on weight-bearing joints like knees and ankles, buoyancy allows for more comfortable and safer exercise.

Increased Range of Motion: Buoyancy can enable individuals to move more freely and perform exercises that might be difficult on land. 

Improved Balance: The constant movement and resistance of water challenge balance, and buoyancy can provide a sense of security and support, especially in deeper water. 

 Enhanced Cardiovascular Fitness: Water exercises, even when low impact due to buoyancy, can improve cardiovascular health by increasing circulation and endurance. 

 Versatile Exercise: Buoyancy allows for a wide array of exercises, from walking and jogging in the water to more specialized movements using equipment like hand buoys or buoyancy cuffs. 

Therapeutic Benefits: The combination of buoyancy, resistance, and hydrostatic pressure in water can be therapeutic, aiding in pain management, injury recovery, and overall well-being.

A second quality of aquatic exercises that is extremely beneficial is resistance. Just about everything you do in water is against resistance. Breathing, the pressure against your chest leads you to taking bigger breaths. Walking, the viscosity of the water provides resistance against your arms, legs and trunk. The faster you move through water the greater the resistance, and the slower, the lesser the resistance. You can work on muscle strength development in a setting that is often less irritating for orthopaedic pains.

In a recent systematic review looking at the Effects of Aquatic Exercise, it was found that ”When compared to conventional rehabilitation therapy, aquatic exercise can effectively improve balance, walking ability, and quality of life in patients with Parkinson’s disease. However, it had no obvious effect on improving motor function.” You could use aquatic exercise as a way to meet your aerobic, balance, agility, and flexibility goals as well as improve your walking abilities.

Please keep in mind that if you feel unsteady walking over ground you may still feeling off balance in the water. To be safe, use a flotation device, it can be as simple as pool noodle in case the waves you create cause a loss of balance. You can always use support from the wall initially and move away from support as comfort and confidence increase. Another beneficial tool to allow for better balance in the water is ankle weights. This can help ground your feet and reduce the instability caused by waves in the way.

Remember, PREPARE and then ACTIVATE, not he other way around. Start “low with control” and warm up into movements. It is not uncommon for people to feel really good when you get in the water that you start moving faster and higher than your body is used to. You can feel much more fatigued and even sore than expected because you feel so good while in the pool.

Now that we know how and why it works, let’s look at some classic upper body, lower body and coordination exercises you can take with you when you try aquatic exercises.

Most aquatic exercise could easily be performed in your backyard pool if you have one. For those of you without a personal pool or looking for a larger option below is a list of Sacramento community options:

Elk Grove Aquatics Center: Features a 50-meter competition pool, a 25-yard instructional pool, and a recreational pool with a lazy river and water slides. 

 North Natomas Aquatics Complex: A popular spot for swimming and other aquatic activities. 

Antelope Aquatic Complex: Another option for swimming and recreation. 

City of West Sacramento Recreation Center & Pool: Offers a family leisure pool, splash features, and waterslides. 

 Fruitridge Swim Center: Co-located with the Fruitridge Community Center and Park, it's used for lessons, recreation, and rentals, according to Southgate Recreation & Park District. 

The Swimstitute: An indoor facility with an 8-lane, 25-meter pool, suitable for various aquatic activities, according to The Swimstitute.

We also want to take this opportunity to announce some exciting new and FREE opportunities at Ignite Neuro Fitness. Thanks to the generosity of the Parkinson’s Foundation we have received a grant to allow our program to offer free exercise and education classes for people with Parkinson’s. Starting August 2nd we will be offering one free class a week (either virtual or in-person). Keep your eyes peeled for free educational classes in the near future as well. Below are descriptions and links to the calendar and sign up application for participation in the free classes. Please feel free to contact us with any questions about this opportunity.

Ignite Intervals (in-person): Get your heart rate going, challenge your balance, and work on strength/coordination while reducing bradykinesia. Offered Wednesdays at 11:55 am and Saturdays at 10:30 am 

FREE Class Sign up Link: https://ignte.as.me/?appointmentType=81018425

Ignite Yoga (in-person and Virtual): Focus on reducing rigidity and improving flexibility, breath, and balance control. Offered Sundays at 11:30 (in-person) and Tuesdays at 12:00 pm (Virtual) 

Free In-person sign up link:  https://ignte.as.me/?appointmentType=75634798

Free Virtual Sign up Link: https://ignte.as.me/?appointmentType=81019256

As always, please feel free to share this newsletter with anyone you think could benefit from this information and reach out with any questions. The more options you have, the more reason to get out and keep moving.

Be kind to yourself,

Romy

https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/aquatic-exercise- gentle-on-your-bones-joints-and-muscles SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article Front. Physiol., 02 February 2023 Sec. Exercise Physiology Volume 14 - 2023 |  https://doi. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article