| “I’m putting on weight,” I told my aquatic boss. “Then get into the water,” she said. Get into the water?” Yes, I know that is the answer. I will burn almost double the calories in the water as I will on the land. Every time I get into the water and exercise my weight starts going down. I love working out in the water, I just don’t take the time to always do it. I am a lot like others, it seems easier to use the land equipment than to get wet in the pool, take a shower, and then continue on with my day. But I find it is more than worth the effort. Over and over I have seen great result when it comes to people loosing or controlling their weight in the pool. One woman faithfully comes 5 days a week and swims a mile. She lost over 60 pounds and continues to loose as she glides through the water. She watches what she eats but she says the big key is her exercise. She is an older woman and loves to swim. She swam when she was younger but as the years past she put on weight and continued to until she took charge of her life and started exercising regularly. A younger woman comes with her home school children. Her children and she love working out together in the pool during the aqua fitness classes. She was under a supervised weight loss program and works out on land and in the water but said the water is the most beneficial to loosing and maintaining the weight loss. One may ask what is the big advantage of exercising in the water? The big one is weightlessness. Astronauts train in a tank of water so they can get use to the weightlessness of space. Athletes train in the water because there is resistance from the water. Runners find they run faster and lighter after significant training in the water. When it comes to athletic injuries, or just personal injuries, people find if they start exercising in the water before they can on land their recovery is much faster and less painful. There is no strain on the joints. Many people think water exercise has little value because they see folks using foam weights, which they feel have no power at all. Like a football coach said to his wife who had been taking my aqua class for a week, “Honey, why don’t you take a real class?” She got fed up with his attitude and asked him to try the class a few times. He did, and after 3 classes he said to his wife, “Honey, this class is so hard I don’t see how you do it. After taking water walking class, which uses various intensity and movements geared to the class members, a soccer player asked is the class was a weight- loss class because it was so hard. I have found when teaching fitness classes to ask the class each day what type of a class they want: hard, medium or easy. Everybody has a day they don’t want to work as hard because of illness or not getting enough sleep. Then they also have days they want the class very hard to help burn off those extra calories they put on during a special dinner. Overweight individuals many times are embarrassed to get into the pool. They think they must lose weight before they get into the pool never starting an exercise program. I want people to feel comfortable about what they wear into the pool and if they feel better in shorts than a bathing suit that is alright with me as long as it is not cut offs because the strings can clog the filters. Don’t be embarrassed about getting into the pool. It is your body and your life you are concerned about and if someone is small minded enough to stare then they don’t realize you are doing something about your health which the majority of people are not doing, you’re exercising. Working out in the water burns almost double the calories as does working out on land. Something most individuals do not realize, you must exercise for your appestat to work properly. What is your appestat? “A presumed region in the human brain, possibly the hypothalamus, that functions to adjust appetite.” When we exercise regularly our appestat tells us we are full when we are full; but when we do not exercise regularly the appestat does not function properly and we over eat. I would like to challenge all people who want to lose weight or just to start a regular exercise program to join a water fitness class. They are fun and a great way of socializing and making friends plus getting the workout your body needs. You will sleep better, eat less, and feel better about yourself. Putting on weight? Get into the pool and have some fun. Dee Nicovich, MS. ED. Dee is certified by USFWA as a Master Water Fitness Instructor and Master Water Fitness Personal Trainer. IFTA Personal Trainer, American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor/Lifeguard and is recognized as a Boot Camp Instructor thru the National Exercise Trainers Association. She is also an instructor for UFC and the Health and Physical Education Department at UAHuntsville, Alabama |
| GET IN THE WATER |
