Exercising in water is for everyone of any age, even those who can’t swim. Whether you’re an athlete or overweight, in shape or in recovery, water aerobics and stretching in warm water is for you.
Training in water is great for your cardiovascular and muscular systems. It can reduce swelling, neck and lower back pain, headaches, fatigue, depression, anxiety, general stress and more.
Water has numerous properties that benefit your physical health. Water aerobics helps you significantly reduce the impact on your joints. You’ll increase your cardiovascular and muscular work and reduce pain—all while having fun! Water offers optimal resistance that can be used by anyone to work out, so choose your own pace and let yourself be soothed by this therapeutic flow. Your heart and muscles will thank you!
Audrey Blais-Lebel, Kinesiologist
Beneficial for the entire body
Training in water lets you make bigger movements while protecting your joints. In addition, the resistance produced by water on your body increases the intensity of each exercise, but the impact on your body and your risk of aches, muscle strains, back pain or joint pain is limited. Water pressure also acts as a lymphatic drainage. Since your legs and feet are compressed in water, the amount of blood in your chest increases. That makes it an excellent treatment for your entire circulatory system!
When you exercise in water, your organs are better perfused. This leads to diuresis—an increase in urine production due to greater blood flow in your kidneys. This means that you can still get dehydrated when you’re swimming, so remember to drink lots of water before and during your training.
Don’t forget !
In water, your body weight decreases by around 50% when you’re submerged to your hips, 75% when submerged up to your chest, and 90% when you have water up to your neck. However, moving when you’re partially submerged in water requires four times more muscular effort than when you’re completely underwater.
If you want to increase the pressure of the water on your body and work a bit more while having fun, move in a circle in a pool or other body of water (if you’re not fully underwater, of course). Complete a few circles. Then, turn around and move in the opposite direction. The turbulence your movement has created will act as a water current you’ll have to fight against.
Three Aquatic Exercises
Lateral arm lifts
Starting position
- Stand, holding a foam dumbbell or one end of a pool noodle in each hand
- Fully extend your arms on each side of your body and place them parallel to the surface of the water
- Keep your abs engaged
- Lower your shoulders and pinch your shoulder blades together
Action
- When you breathe out, lower your arms in the water to bring them to your hips, then raise them back up to your beginning position
- Continue to “flap your wings”—do it at a faster speed for more resistance
Aquatic Alphabet Abs
Starting position
- Stand with your back against the side of the pool and lift up your legs to a 90-degree angle
- Keep your abs engaged throughout the exercise
Action
- Draw the alphabet with your feet, trying not to rest your feet at the bottom of the pool
Water dancing
- Play some music…
- Have fun and dance!
Learn to move happily
Give yourself the experience of a sustainable transformation and learn to move happily with the Movement package.
