Water – A Wonderful Medium for Staying Active and Fit
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Water – A Wonderful Medium for Staying Active and Fit
Being active is fundamental to our well-being, allowing us to flourish throughout our life. Physical activity is needed for all the systems of the body to function properly. Cardiorespiratory efficiency and endurance improve with regular exercise, building a stronger heart, improving blood flow, lowering systolic blood pressure, and making healthier blood lipids. Benefits of working our body also include: increased bone density, muscle mass (resistance training), range of motion, flexibility. and mental clarity (Summerfield & Ellis, 2012, p. 169 – 173).
Water can be an ideal medium for staying active and fit. Physical therapists Lynda Huey and Robert Forster, authors of The Complete Waterpower Workout Book, highlight that water furnishes support (buoyancy), three-dimensional resistance, and a fresh, clean feeling. Providing a cushion for weight-bearing joints, water is largely an injury-free environment. Because water is denser than air, your muscles work harder. Simply by moving through the water, you accomplish weight-training. This works because water matches the energy you put into it; the harder you push or pull, the more resistance you get. Those who may not have exercised for months or years can enter the water and begin exercising immediately. Water is an “equalizer.” People of all ages and abilities can participate in the same class and do the same exercises and each will be challenged at their own level. Water is remarkable in how it responds to you (Huey & Forester, 1963, p. 3 – 4).
Being active is fundamental to our well-being, allowing us to flourish throughout our life. Physical activity is needed for all the systems of the body to function properly. Cardiorespiratory efficiency and endurance improve with regular exercise, building a stronger heart, improving blood flow, lowering systolic blood pressure, and making healthier blood lipids. Benefits of working our body also include: increased bone density, muscle mass (resistance training), range of motion, flexibility. and mental clarity (Summerfield & Ellis, 2012, p. 169 – 173).
Water can be an ideal medium for staying active and fit. Physical therapists Lynda Huey and Robert Forster, authors of The Complete Waterpower Workout Book, highlight that water furnishes support (buoyancy), three-dimensional resistance, and a fresh, clean feeling. Providing a cushion for weight-bearing joints, water is largely an injury-free environment. Because water is denser than air, your muscles work harder. Simply by moving through the water, you accomplish weight-training. This works because water matches the energy you put into it; the harder you push or pull, the more resistance you get. Those who may not have exercised for months or years can enter the water and begin exercising immediately. Water is an “equalizer.” People of all ages and abilities can participate in the same class and do the same exercises and each will be challenged at their own level. Water is remarkable in how it responds to you (Huey & Forester, 1963, p. 3 – 4).
References
Huey, L., Forester, R. (1993). The Complete Waterpower Workout Book. New York, NY: Random House.
Summerfield, L. M., Ellis, S. K. (2016). Nutrition, Exercise, and Behavior. (3rd Edition). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Huey, L., Forester, R. (1993). The Complete Waterpower Workout Book. New York, NY: Random House.
Summerfield, L. M., Ellis, S. K. (2016). Nutrition, Exercise, and Behavior. (3rd Edition). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Amy Wing, Holistic Health Educator,
Nature’s Hearth
Website: www.naturesheart.net
Email: ajw.habitat@gmail.com
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