Water Workouts for Your Health
By Sara Butler
If you’re looking to get in better shape and work some exercise into your life, then you should take a serious look at water workouts. Working out in the water is a great way to exercise that is gentle on the joints, making it a great exercise method for nearly everyone! Working out in water helps to build strength, cardiovascular health, and resistance. Here are some of the biggest benefits to working out in the water!
Increased Strength
Water is constantly moving, so the resistance you get from time in the pool can range anywhere from four to 42 times more than air. This helps to give your muscles quite the workout! According to the National Institutes of Health, some studies have found that regular water aerobic exercise over a period of 12 weeks can cause significant gains in flexibility, agility, and strength.
Increase Endurance
Traditional weights require you to pull and push against the weight as well as gravity. When you’re in the water, the resistance is more natural, requiring your body to strain through the water rather than against it.
Flexibility Increases
Water resistance in the pool during exercise helps the body to naturally increase its range of motion. This is due to the fact that your body must move in many different directions in water while simultaneously adjusting to the pull and push of the water.
It’s Low-Impact
Exercise out of water puts a lot of stress on the joints. One of the best things about water exercise is how gentle it is on the joints – and that’s why you see so many older people in the pool. When you take away the force of gravity in the water, the impact on the joints lessens – so go into the water knowing you’re being kinder to your joints than you are on land!
It Burns Calories
Many people exercise in order to increase their calorie burn to maintain a healthy weight. Exercise in the water combines cardiovascular and strength exercise, ensuring a full workout for the body that leads to some serious calorie burn. In an hour of water exercise, you can burn between 400 and 500 calories.
Water workouts are great for you. If you've not tried them yet, then what are you waiting for? Get to the pool and discover all the ways water workouts can benefit your health and wellness.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Roswell, Ga.