Guest post - Misconceptions & Benefits of Aqua Aerobics

I love water. Being near it or in it brings me a feeling of calm. The combination of calming, healing water and exercise can only bring good feelings to the Anxiety sufferer. I was keen to learn more through Kaitlin Gardner of An Apple Per Day.

Any of my friends can tell you I love water workouts. I have never been much of a runner and for years, didn’t think about the pool when it came to exercise. Aqua aerobics changed all of that for me. I’ve heard some interesting misconceptions about working out in the water, and there are wonderful benefits as well.

Here are some great resources with more information about aqua aerobics:

●     Water Aerobics and Water Fitness Exercises

●     My Ultimate Guide To Aqua Aerobics

●      Health Benefits of Water-Based Exercise

The Misconceptions

You have to know how to swim. I have done a whole workout class and never gotten my shoulder length hair wet. Most of the exercises take place in water that is waist to chest deep at the most. You stand upright in the water for most of the workout, and even if you can’t swim, you are in a safe situation.

Aqua aerobics is only for seniors. I have to laugh when I hear this one. I usually mention that competitive runners, even those training for marathons, use aqua aerobics for cross training or to recover from an injury. A lot of us have seen those pictures of smiling seniors in the water with their arms in the air. If you go to an aqua kick boxing class, you’ll find a strenuous workout performed by people who are in great shape.

It’s not much of a workout. The water does provide a gentle, low impact workout solution. But in addition, it can give you all the cardio blast you need. Try an aqua Zumba class, and see if you’re not breathing hard really quickly. For me, a good aqua jogging session is comparable to a run on a park trail. I go to the pool when the lap lanes are open, and move up and down one with a good jogging motion. It’s a fantastic workout.

The Benefits

Heart health. In the water, a person’s heart rate is lower by 13 percent, which is about 17 beats per minute. That means I work my heart less than in the gym or out running, just because I’m in the water. It’s thought this effect is due to the lessened impact of gravity and the lower water temperature. The result is that I’m giving my heart a break, and still getting a good workout.

Excellent for stress relief. If I have a busy and stressful week, I go to the pool for an aqua tai chi or water yoga class. Doing slow and rhythmic movements in the gentle element of water guarantees that I will relax and stress will slide away. My husband can tell when I come back from one of those classes, by how relaxed I am.

A hot weather alternative. I used to get up super early in the summer to go run. It was not much fun, but it was my only choice, because it would be too hot later. I can go for a water workout in the middle of the day, and the cool water will make it a pleasant experience.

Tremendous variety. Because water workouts have become so popular, there are a great array of options to choose from. Aqua kick boxing, a group class for an overall workout, or just popping into the pool for a short session of treading water. I can find something challenging any time I like.

Gentle on the body. After years of running, my knees were particularly sensitive. Working out in the water is great for me, because of the low impact part. Since my body only has to support a fraction of its own weight because of buoyancy, I exercise with a lightness that my body really appreciates.

I smile when I walk in the house after a good session of aqua aerobics, because I’m keeping fit, but in a way that’s enjoyable for me.

Kaitlin Gardner started An Apple Per Day to explore her passion for a green living lifestyle, and healthy family living. She and her husband have just moved to rural Pennsylvania, where they enjoy exploring the countryside to discover interesting and out of the way places. She is also learning how to paint watercolors.

The Liebster Award

Adventures of a Subversive Reader nominated me for a Liebster Award!

So what is a Liebster Award? The award is given to support and recognise up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers (on their blog) or likers (on their Facebook page). The word “Liebster” apparently has German origins and is reported to mean sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. By following some basic rules (answer 11 questions set by your nominee, write 11 questions of your own and pass the award onto 11 other bloggers to answer) it enables readers to get to know new bloggers and connect with a wider audience.

1. What was one of your favourite books as a child? Naughty Amelia Jane, Enid Blyton.
2. Do you own a e-reading device? Do you like it? I just got a Kindle Fire HD, so it's a reader/tablet. Liking it so far.
3. Do you belong to your local library? Do you visit it? Yes - I visited a lot when the kids were little. I don't visit as often now I am back at work.
4. What is one of your favourite books now? Lucky Man, Michael J Fox. It is such a touching and honest insight into his life as an actor, as well as his diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and how it has changed things for him.
5. How many books do you think you own? Way too many to bother counting
6. How do you shelve your books? Subject, author, title, colour? By subject
7. Have you ever seen a movie that’s better than the book? The Tree, written by Judy Pascoe. Made into a film in 2010. I found the book a little hard to relate to the characters. The film brought the characters to life, and interpreted the story well.
8. Have you ever learned a different language? In High School I studied German from Grade 7-10. In College, I chose to study Japanese.
9. If a publisher said they’d publish any book you wrote, what kind of book would you write? It would have to be about my life and family. It is the only topic I would be confident to write with full knowledge of the subject.
10. What author would you like to meet? Stephen King - I used to read a lot of his books. He has a very vivid imagination.
11. Have you got a book recommendation? Unbearable Lightness, Portia de Rossi. I love biographies about real issues and how people dealt with them (if you couldn't already tell). This book was an eye opener into the disease of Anorexia and Bulimia, as well as the Hollywood scene.

Now here are my questions. They are based on a few topics from my 2012 To Do List

1.   Did you plant anything this year? If so, then what?
2. Do you participate in any volunteer programs for your community?
3. What is one challenge you have set yourself this year?
4. What is a realistic task you would have liked to have done this year, but won't get around to doing?
5. Do you celebrate the holidays with enthusiasm (ie Easter, Christmas, Halloween) or do you cringe and hide?
6. Do you do any online puzzles or games?
7. What has diet been like this year? Any changes or new likes?
8. What have you started and not finished?
9. Do you tackle jobs around the house or pay someone else, and why?
10. What is something you enjoyed in childhood that you would like to do as an adult?
11. Do you prefer to read, write or watch?

And my nominees for The Liebster Award are:

iSophie
Mumma Needs Coffee
Simple Loving Thoughts
Coal Valley View
Oh, the places we will go

When do you do your best blog thinking?

image source

When I should be doing something else, I am thinking of my next blog post. When I meant to be going to sleep, when I'm driving, when I'm hanging out the washing, when I'm at WORK!

When everything is quiet, and I am up first in the morning is when I can do my best writing. The ideas and story lines are coming all of the time though.
Sometimes, I should be switching off and going to sleep and before I know it, I have practically written a blog post in my head and even named it.

If I don't right these thoughts and ideas down then by the time I get a chance to blog them, they are gone. This drives my crazy because often, I am not near a sticky note or my computer when I get my wave of creativity.

That's where my phone comes in handy.
If I record these things on Evernote, then the ideas are recorded and can be expanded on at a later date. i drive my husband notes flicking on the light to put notes in Evernote.

I'm dying to know how other bloggers cope with the constant ideas popping into your head? Do you record it or is it gone again? When do you do your best writing?