Exercising in water has been shown to be a great calorie burner. No matter what age, weight, or fitness level, anyone can perform and benefit from aquatic training. Learn more in this article and video.
Water exercises work your entire body, you get more out of aquatic training than a normal gym workout — with the added bonus of enjoying the refreshing water and minimising strain on your body.
Keep reading to learn aquafitness can help you achieve your health and fitness goals.
If you are looking to lose weight, water training is a great low impact exercise option that uses water resistance to target the muscles and help to burn calories.
Because of the added resistance in the water, you’re actually working harder than you would on land to complete the same exact movements, even if it doesn’t feel like it.
Water provides resistance in three dimensions: forward, back, side and surrounding. Because of the surrounding medium, it’s a much more functional and efficient way to train.
A Swim Spa is a great option as they are accessible, come in a variety of sizes and are a great year-round fitness option for everyone to enjoy.
Having a measurable goal allows you to track your progress. A specific goal is easier to achieve and monitor. A time-bound goal gives you a deadline to work to - making it more motivating.
A great way to remember this is through the SMART method, which helps you make sure your goal is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.
Aquatic exercise, depending on the intensity, has been shown to burn up to 400-600 calories in an hour! By adding weights you can achieve more.
The best way to lose weight is through a combination of consistent exercise and healthy eating. Try to get moving in the water 3-4 times a week whether that’s in the morning, during the day or at night.
You can perform cardio activities like:
Make sure you support your exercise routine with a healthy well-balanced diet and plenty of sleep.
Exercising in water is a great way to keep fit, and it's much easier on your joints than other types of training. You can work your strength, speed, and agility underwater. You don’t even have to swim.
If you have a swim spa, you can use the powerful swim jets to take your aqua fitness to the next level.
Benefits of a swim spa for strength training:
We’ve come up with an easy to follow swim spa fitness programme that you can follow to start your aqua fitness journey.
Make the most of the resistance from the swim spa jets and try walking or jogging against the power of the jets. This is a great way to build up your strength and endurance.
Tip: Having a measurable goal allows you to track your progress. Try setting a timer for 10 minutes and walking or jogging against the water, then increase in 5 minute increments as you get fitter. Once you are up for a challenge turn on the jets for more resistance.
Now that you’ve built up some resistance training by walking and jogging against the water, it’s time to swim. Pick your favourite style whether it’s freestyle, butterfly or backstroke and swim against the current.
Tip: Most swim spas come with multiple jets and settings. Start off swimming against one jet and build up as your strength grows.
Water aerobics help to enhance flexibility, and even improve power by using the resistance of the water to build muscle strength.
Tip: Try introducing a few simple exercises like:
These exercises will get your heart rate up quickly and help you burn calories while using only your body weight and the resistance from the water.
By adding some weight you can target specific areas of your body. Try adding a weight belt, foam dumbbells or ankle weights to increase the intensity of your workout.
Tip: Try performing weighted exercises in timed intervals with active recovery in between. Start with 30 seconds of work, immediately followed by 15 seconds of recovery. If you’d rather complete exercises by reps, and you’re a bit more advanced, aim for 15-20 reps for 3-4 sets.
As with any type of exercise, the duration of your sessions will vary depending on your fitness level, and the intensity with which you train.
If you’re new to aqua fitness, start slowly – two or three 20-minute sessions a week will be plenty.
Before long, you’ll find you have the cardio and muscular endurance to complete hour-long sessions almost every day of the week.
You may sweat more than you realise when you’re working out in the water, so stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids before and after you work out.
If you are new to aqua fitness, you can check out our swim fitness video below.
We hope this article has helped you understand the many ways to exercise in the water.
If you are looking for more information on swim fitness, you can check out our other articles.
As always, if you need any more help or advice, feel free to drop into your local Spa World Showroom..
You can also contact our customer care team via our website. We are happy to help.
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