10 REASONS TO EXERCISE IN YOUR SWIM SPA
A Swim Spa is a significant financial investment but should also be an investment in your health. Here are some of the benefits that the water can provide that will give you a significant return on that investment.
Water Training is Low Impact: The decreased weight bearing that buoyancy provides decreases the impact on your joints. Whether you are suffering from arthritis, recovering from and injury or just beginning an exercise program the water is a great place to train.
Water Provides Accommodating Resistance: The harder you push the water, the harder the water pushes you back. So no matter what fitness level you are ,you control the amount of resistance which is a very safe and effective way to train. By incorporating the current or jets of your swim spa you can create more of a strength challenge.
Improved Flexibility: The waters unique properties of buoyancy, viscosity and drag allows your muscles and joints to move much more freely than on land. This freedom of movement can help you gain improved flexibility.
Lose Weight: Because of the added resistance in the water, you’re actually working harder than you would on land to complete the same movement, even if it doesn’t feel like that. Water exercise can effectively burn more calories than land exercise when doing the same movements.Vertical aquatic exercise depending on your intensity you can burn up to 400-500 calories in an hour!
Builds Cardio Endurance: Waters unique properties provides increased resistance to movement and challenges you even further when exercising. When you pair this with your spas current or jets with activities such as running or jogging in the water, you get improved cardiovascular endurance.
Improves Balance: Exercising in the water can help to minimize the fear and risk of falling. Use the water to challenge your balance and coordination in a very safe and supportive environment. Integrate the swim current or jets in your swim spa for more of a challenge.
Cross Training: Water workouts are a great addition to your current training program. In the water it is much easier to balance your muscle groups. This will help to improved your land based training. It has been shown that individuals who do multiple forms of exercise may decrease their risk of overuse injuries.
Improve Recovery: If you are recovering from an injury or surgery, water training can allow you to get moving sooner and more comfortably. When combined with land based training results usually occur faster.
Functional: Functional exercise takes into consideration how our bodies move in day to day activities. Because water is a surrounding medium the resistance created while moving in the water works your whole body including your arms, back and core which is very functional.Unlike exercise machines, water provides resistance to movement in any direction which is very beneficial.
It’s Fun: Exercising in the water does not really feel like you are exercising. You can’t feel yourself sweating and mentally you leave the water in a much better mood than when you got in. If an activity is fun people usually tend to stick with it.
By maximizing the use of your swim spa it will provide significant health benefits for years to come.
Dr. Rick McAvoy, PT, DPT, CSCS has specialized in Aquatic Physical Therapy, Fitness and Sports Performance for over 25 years. Rick is the Owner of Swim Spa Exercise, a virtual training company to help people maximize the use of their swim spas. He wants everyone to Move Better and Live Better.
For more information of how to maximize the use of your Swim Spa and how to Move Better and Live Better visit.
