As ABC launches the Your Move campaign, to help Australians explore their health and fitness journey, reporter Marnie Vinall hits the road to sample some of the growing fitness trends across the country.
Every time I go swimming at the local pool and there’s an aqua aerobics class at the same time, I get a little envious as they go up and down the ABBA slopes, while I freestyle laps back and forth.
Key points:
- Water aerobics is a type of resistance training that aims to take the stress off your joints that normally comes with land aerobics.
- Sessions tend to last 40 minutes to an hour and you don’t have to be a strong swimmer to participate.
- Over time, new forms of water aerobics have been developed, such as water cycling and water pole dancing.
It seems like the much, much more fun option.
So I decided to bite the bullet and give it a try, especially now that I’ve reached the age where my knees start to hurt when I run too much.
I contacted Jennifer Schembri-Portelli, a registered aquatics instructor and personal trainer, who has been teaching aqua aerobics classes for over 20 years.
She told me to come down and take a class at the Sandhurst Club, where she was teaching that night, and I eagerly accepted.
However, before going down, he explained to me what the activity was about.
She told me that the buoyancy of water supports the body and decreases the stress placed on joints as you move, which can increase range of motion.
“For people who want to exercise on land, they’re restricted by gravity, knees and joints, but when they’re in the water, their ability improves…we found that people who can exercise to a limited extent on land, but they can further increase your cardiovascular fitness in the water,” he said.
Schembri-Portelli also noted that aquatic fitness is good for all ages, as speed in the water can increase resistance to make exercises more challenging.
Basically, expect a workout.
I got there early and got to talking to some of the other participants. One woman had been going for more than a year, another on and off for seven years, and another for more than 12 years. Everyone spoke very highly of the classes, a woman told me that she can no longer jump on land but that in the water she feels much freer.
When we got into the water, the soundtrack started and the warm-up began. And we’re talking here about a playlist of Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Are Made for Walkin’, Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl, Amii Stewart’s Knock on Wood and Pink’s So What.
And look, I’m not going to lie about this. From the first moment, she had a huge goofy grin plastered on my face.
It was incredibly fun, though don’t get me wrong, it’s still an effective and sometimes challenging workout.
Exercises throughout the class included jogging and running in place, kicks to the front and side of the body, dance moves including shimmies, and upper body exercises with handheld dumbbells used underwater.
The dumbbells, while extremely light, gained resistance underwater and were especially difficult to push from one side of my body to the other to the beat of the music.
At one point I exclaimed that I was starting to feel a bit bloated.
“Think about how great-grandma would feel,” a woman next to me said, pointing to the woman to my left who smiled back.
After the class, I got in touch with Dr. Sophie Heywood, Physiotherapist and Aquatic Instructor, to find out a little more about aquatic fitness.
When I told her how much fun I and those around me had had in class, she didn’t seem surprised.
“We know from research that it’s seen as a supportive environment. So if you’re in pain or weak, you can do more in the pool,” he said.
“And I think that’s a real advantage for people … it puts people in the right headspace, they can be successful, it can be successful, fun, enjoyable and less awkward.
“There is a lot of research showing that for people with joint pain, meaning people with arthritis or other musculoskeletal injuries, being in the pool is helpful in improving their fitness.”
Dr. Heywood said those fitness improvements carry over to ground exercises as well.
“It’s not just about enjoying it while you’re doing it, but also improving your balance or walking when you’re out of the pool,” he said.
In addition, he told me that aquatic exercises are often used in elite sports for rehabilitation and recovery and to support other forms of exercise, such as running or cycling.
“That buoyancy offloading is really helpful for recovery and also for rehabilitation and exercise,” he said.
“I think in the past, water exercise was generally seen as a gentle option… which was seen as quite easy and for older people, but actually, we know that a lot of young people really like to exercise in the pool. and they really find it beneficial.
I, one for, found it beneficial. For fitness and fun.
The next time mom is in town, I’ll definitely take her to a class.
What is water aerobics?
Water aerobics is a class most often held in the shallow end of the pool, with an instructor leading participants through various movements that help with strength and fitness.
Not only does water resistance help build muscle and improve cardiovascular systems, it’s also kind to joints like knees and ankles as a low-impact exercise.
Other forms of water aerobics include aqua cycling, which uses an exercise bike in the water, water pole dancing, which, you guessed it, is pole dancing but in the water, and deep water aerobics, which is performed at the other end of the pool and adds the additional challenge of floating in the water.
How much does a class cost?
Water aerobics classes are often offered as part of a pool or gym membership, and can cost anywhere from $10 to $30 per session.
Where can I do aquagym?
Most public pools and gyms that include a pool offer aqua aerobics classes. Find your local pool and ‘aqua aerobics’ or ‘aqua aerobics’ to find your nearest class.
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