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11/18/12 7:40 P

It's been about 3 weeks since I've been in the pool since our gym moved to a new facility and the pool wasn't ready yet. Hopefully tomorrow.

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11/17/12 10:34 P

It has been an more than a week since the last time I was in the pool. I miss it so. Is it Monday yet? I need to get some swim time in. It is my time to meditate and decompress.

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11/5/12 8:57 A

Water volley sounds fun but tough - especially as it is followed up by a class. :)

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10/23/12 12:53 P

Water volleyball sounds like a tough workout!!

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10/23/12 8:23 A

I attend water aerobics on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. For the ones who get there early we do a 30-45 min water volleyball session. It has really broken up the routine and so much fun

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10/11/12 8:13 A

I agree on the posture aspect and you have to also remember that if you do go past the standing knee before you stop, you can end up hurting a lot of areas in your body.

Thanks for the addional info, WetPtarmigan.

Going to the pool again today. Each morning brings a wonder about the next day as the weather is getting cooler everyday and yesterday, it was a bear getting out of the pool. The water was warm, but getting out was like jumping into an ice pool and forced to stay there for far too long than jumping and climbing out. I've done that when I was younger so I know the experience. Now it's far to hard to endure. Besides that, I was living in WA state when I was younger and crazier and had a lot thicker blood. Now, I'm in Florida - my blood is a lot thinner and the cold seems to sink in deeper and faster than it did when I was heavier and stronger and less concerned with arthritic joints, etc.

I don't think I would care so much that the hands get stiff, if they didn't hurt when they get stiff. I am learning to put my hands in warm water while I march in place for 10 minutes on my breaks. Both help a lot.

Keep moving, my friends.

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8/12/12 2:55 P

Another aspect of your Morgan/Flamingo (how crazy is an image of a pirate with a flamingo on his shoulder!?!?) is that your strong downward push should end before the knee goes behind the standing knee and your back arches into hyperflexion. Maintain that great posture and natural back curves!

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8/12/12 2:29 P

The hip flexor exercise WetPtarmigan is talking about is what one of my instructors called the Morgan/Flamingo. Morgan = Capt Morgan's pose in the commercials where one foot is up as though he has his foot on a treasure chest and his hands are on his hips. Flamingo = the position of thigh straight down, bent knee, in order to hold the "dumbbell" in place and you look like a Flamingo (sort of), which is the Morgan/Flamingo exercise.

I've never forgotten that exercise or the instructor that gave it to us. I do the Morgan/Flamingo every other day in the pool and boy does it help, but I will make sure that I exert more energy on the downward movement. Thanks, WP!

Edited by: FLORIDAGHOST at: 8/12/2012 (14:29)

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7/19/12 9:19 P

Hello Team,

A Lazy River is typical a 3’ feet deep (Shallow) pool that flows similar to a river. There's a slow (5 MPH) current which students go around in circles performing a series of exercises. After 6 or 7 laps around in a circle, the students are instructed to turn and go against the current performing another series of exercise. These laps are repeated while following numerous directions. Make 36 circles (laps) around equals one mile.


Edited by: LASKIE2 at: 9/11/2012 (16:30)

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7/9/12 7:07 P

I need my hip flexor to quit working so darn well. It pulls super tight in the left leg so my foot doesn't reach the ground. Of course, this is all due to the arthritis in knees, hips, and lower back which jerked the spine off to the side and put all the muscles working in the wrong way. Okay, sorry, just complaining after mowing the yard and then not being able to get out of the swing where I sat to rest. lol Our one instructor keeps coming up with new moves for us to do which is fun.

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7/9/12 12:00 P

Hip flexor exercises should be paired with those that work the opposing muscles. Those are the ones we really need to pay attention to, as we sit for long periods in flexion and use the flexors a lot in walking, running, knee lifts, stairs, etc. You can easily work in hip extension by putting extra emphasis and energy into the downward movement of the leg after the lift. No separate exercise needed! And spare your back by keeping a bend in the knee when the leg is in motion!

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7/9/12 9:28 A

hip flexors. It can be done alone or with lateral raises

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7/2/12 2:58 A

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6/27/12 3:28 P

my wife and I stand back to back and hold a dumbell in both hands. We twist at the waist and pass it on one side and catch it on the other. After a set amount we switch sides. It is great for the core area.

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6/18/12 10:53 P

lateral raise in deep water

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5/7/12 3:46 P

Thanks for the link, WETPTARMIGAN!!

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5/6/12 11:31 A

There's a post in the SparkBlog that contains links to some water workouts. Some of the workouts are better than others. Think about any move in any workout, and if it's not right for your back, joints, current physical condition, modify or do something else.
www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=7_water_e
xercise_routines

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5/6/12 8:22 A

I found a great book! The title is "Aqua-Fitness" it is written by the coaching staff at Stanford Universtiy. It has some great moves all based on what they call the "star." If you are looking for some moves to improve your balance--the book really helped me!

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5/5/12 12:15 A

Boy, I am so enjoying reading all these messages. You all will inspire me even more than I already am with the water workouts. Thanks!!!

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4/12/12 2:04 P

I think that collagevideos.com also has music cd's available in the back of their catalog and it is marked in beats per minute.

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4/12/12 12:42 P

There are TONS of exercise music sources! Music produced for exercise usually has a BPM (Beats Per Minute) number. A good tempo for water aerobics is anywhere from 122-132 BPM with 124-128 the average. You can download and burn cds on your computer from iTunes or Amazon, just search on "exercise music". There are also companies that do nothing but produce exercise cds and downloads. Here are a few:
powermusic.com/
www.musclemixes.com/home.php
www.dynamixmusic.com/
You don't have to use specifically aqua music. Albums for step exercise are also usually in the appropriate BPM range. Best of all would be to find an album with a warmup song at the beginning and a cooldown song at the end. Have fun shopping! With so much to choose from, there's absolutely no need to be bored!

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4/12/12 8:25 A

Does anyone have a water aerobics CD they'd recommend? We have an instructor only one day a week. On the other three days we use a tape and after several years it is very boring. Others have been looking but they're not happy with what they've found. TIA
loyall

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1/31/12 9:58 A

We had a new instructor start a month ago and even though she took notes from another class she was having a hard time getting things running smoothly so I gave her a copy of the routines posted. With practice and a few moves she took from the posts everyone was really happy with class last week and believe me when I say this is one tough group to keep happy. They do not like change at all and actuallly made one gal quit because they were so horribly rude to her. Now I think we have 4 instructors most folks like for the 4 classes we have every week.

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1/31/12 5:24 A

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1/8/12 12:08 P

I just found this team and these posts...THANK YOU so much!!! I have been doing water aerobics of some sort for several years, starting with rehab for my knees, and was hooked on it. I am always looking for more ideas to use in the water. Thanks for all the great posts!

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12/1/11 11:43 A

MRSMLBJ - Thanks so much for posting your routine! I just started teaching a class and needed some structure for a workout!

Edited by: DARZALUZER at: 12/1/2011 (11:44)

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9/27/11 8:41 P

Here's one that I do on my own and you really feel its effects right off! You can do this shallow or deep ends. Bend your knees out and pull your feet up so they are off the pool's floor. Cross your ankles and swing your feet back and forth like you're on a swing. I do about thirty of these. Do however many you'd like to.

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9/11/11 1:14 P

Scroll down a few posts to where FIFIFRIZZLE describes exactly what she does. There are some variations as well--you can do the rowing motion with your feet grounded and stable on the pool floor; it will really kick those core muscles into action! If available, you can use one of those long two-hands foam barbells as a pair of "oars" either grounded or feet-up traveling. you can also use the long barbell as a kayak paddle, dipping one end at a time. Feet up or feet down. Kayak backward as well as forward. So many options!

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9/11/11 1:57 A

Thanks for that! Could you describe in detail how to row exactly? I've never done it before

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9/8/11 10:04 A

Upper body strength, mainly--shoulders, chest, upper back. It can help the core if you keep your body straight, upright and aligned. If you do it energetically, it can be cardio.

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9/8/11 5:39 A

Hey guys I've been going aqua for years in a class but am out in the bush at the moment so have to do it on my own! what does rowing do for your body?

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8/28/11 12:49 P

And if you want to ramp up the rowing, you can add "oars" in your hands--a noodle or buoyant barbells. Keep both upper and lower body warm and active by rowing backward, then jogging or biking forward.

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8/26/11 3:51 P

What a great topic, good thinking for putting it up. One move I saw someone do and copied and now just love is rowing, as though you are a boat yourself. Adopt a sitting position, cross your legs at the ankle to keep them stable, and make a sculling motion with your arms. It's good if you find yourself leaning forward then back, just like you are on a rowing machine. I find this much harder work than a rowing machine on land. Mind out behind, though, as you are traveling backwards and don't want to collide.

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8/9/11 8:38 A

My yoga hour has been temporarily cancelled for 1 of 2 days of week. This enables me to keep moving in the water & get my water time back up. Thanks again.

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7/14/11 6:57 P

I did print out the exercise list. Now I just need to get some of those covers. Today I had a silver sneaker class which was followed by a short sample of a new class being offered to seniors or those of us who can't do the high impact, fast dancing moves. It is a zumba gold which looks like it'll be fun. Now if they'll just put it at a time I can get there!

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7/14/11 5:48 P

MRSMLBJ: Rest between workouts really depends on you and your current state of fitness. If you are just getting started with exercise, then a day of recovery between workouts might be a good idea. Otherwise, go ahead and work out every day if you want. It's always a good idea to crosstrain, though, whenther you're doing different kinds of water workouts each day or doing land workouts some days.

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7/12/11 9:15 P

Hi all! Guess I haven't checked in here for a while. I'm still trying to get into the pool at least 3 times a week. Of course it has to be the indoor pool because every time I plan to get to an outdoor pool it starts storming! Today, tho, was silver sneakers and yoga stretch followed by mowing before it started raining!

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7/12/11 5:46 P

MRSMLBJ

Thank you so much for the water exercises. I am always looking for new exercises to do in the pool. Do you recommend a day of rest between workouts?

Thanks again,
Theresa

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6/28/11 8:38 A

That's a why didn't I think of that moment - thanks for the suggestion, you're brillant as always.
Kelly

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6/27/11 10:25 A

When you've copied and pasted instructions for the moves you want to try into some sort of text file (word processor, notes, etc.) you may want to change them into the plainest type font possible (arial, helvetica, etc.) and into large type (don't forget to save your file!). then print the pages out and slip them into plastic sleeves to take to the pool.

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6/27/11 7:48 A

EsterJane, try highlighting what you want, then hit ctrl+c, to copy then to paste hit ctrl+v.

Also, anything you might want to paste but don't want to hang onto for later use, after highlighting it, hit ctrl+x, then to paste it ctrl+v.

Hope that helps.
Oh by the way, don't worry about finding your way around here - it's a lot of fun getting lost (that's how I stumbled upon this team) but once you get into it, watch out you'll fly through it.
Kelly

Edited by: ALOHAEV1 at: 6/27/2011 (07:51)

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6/27/11 6:45 A

Is there a way to copy these chats? I tried to copy paste...into my yahoo e-mail. I don't have time to type all these great instruction.....wow! you gave all of us such an awesome gift.....your Rock

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6/27/11 12:42 A

Working your brain is good too.

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6/26/11 8:44 A

I am swimming at home and doing 5 minute sets, aerobic, laps, water walking...total of 1 hour. Now my right side hurts from bottom of lung up to neck....hope it's new muscle forming.
I am new to this team and have more problems finding my way online then swimming....LOL Streatching my brain while I stretch....is this fun or what!!!

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6/20/11 10:21 P

I tend to get stuck just seeing the things that come through my e-mails so I just saw this today. I may have to try some of these things on my own. Thanks.

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5/23/11 5:37 P

I just post my Waterbug Workout in three parts. Well, today we added a new exercise that we are calling the "Chicken Wings"

You put your hands under your arm pits and the roll your shoulders forward for a ten count and the reverse for another ten count. This is a good exercise for the shoulders and rotator cuffs. The ladies really liked it.

Also wanted to let you know that I got in 25 laps today. (32 laps is a mile) I have been not swimming due to illness and last week Wednesday was the first time I had done laps in 2 months and got a half mile in. So I am on my way back.

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5/23/11 5:33 P

Part Three of my Waterbug Workout

Upper Body

23. Push Down ~ In water up to the chest, ladies will hold dumbbells, palms down. They will keep their arms tight to their bodies only moving the arms from the elbows down. Feet must remain on the floor at all time. Hold the dumbbell in front of the body, they will use one hand at a time, push dumbbell under the water as far as possible then back up not letting it come out of the water. Repeat 10 times. Repeat for other hand and then do both hands. Flip the dumbbells palms up and repeat the entire sequence. Remember to stand up straight with these exercises. Do not lean to the side or bend forward. Use only the muscles in your arms.

24. Punch the Pillow ~ Holding both dumbbells in one hand, push them down into the water on the side as deep as you can, without leaning over. Do this for a 10 count. Repeat with other hand. (If you cannot do it holding both barbells, try it with just one.)

25. Over the Top ~ Stretch the arms out straight to the sides with legs spread slightly more than shoulder width. Be sure to keep heels on the floor. Slowly bring one dumbbell over top of the head and touch the opposite dumbbell stretching all along the side, then bring it back to the starting position. Repeat ten times then repeat for other side ten times. Do not let the arm in the water “float” in front of you. For advanced…place the over arm behind the hand in the water for more stretch.

26. Up/Down/Touch Behind ~ Using the dumbbells reach up high above then bring them down into the water on both sides and to the back toughing them behind the back, keeping them underwater bringing them back to the front and back up above the head. Repeat for 10 count.

27. Chopping Wood ~ Put dumbbells (and hands) together and start at the shoulder then twist the torso bringing the dumbbells down under water to the opposite knee as if chopping wood. Do this for ten count then repeat for the opposite side for ten count.

28. Stir the Pot ~ Holding the dumbbells together reach out as far as possible keeping the dumbbells under water just a little and stir the water as if stirring a large pot. Go ten times in one direction then ten times another direction. Be sure to put your whole body into it.

29. Fly Hawks Fly ~ Beginning at water level stretch your arms out straight then bring your arms down under water until they meet (probably at the knees). Repeat for ten count. (The girls have a game to see who can make the biggest “boom” underwater with their dumbbells when doing this.)

30. Criss-Cross ~ Using dumbbells, start at water level and go under water right hand to left side and vis-a-versa. Do ten times.

31. Hang On ~ Pick feet up and put under the body. Using the dumbbells to hold yourself above water, swing from side to side. Advanced…stretch feet out in front keeping back straight. Swing each side ten times.

Additional thirty minutes of Merengue and Salsa Water Zumba.

That's It. The class usually lasts just under an hour.

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5/21/11 2:47 A

Part Two of my Waterbug Workout

Cardio

11. March, Kick, Pop & Jacks ~ Start out at a decent pace with marching and using arms as if running. After ten count, transfer to kick with arms shooting side to side for another ten count. Then staying with the kick, the arms pop above the head for a ten count with the final ten count going into jumping jacks. With each rep the speed increases a bit. We do six reps but the last rep is quite slow. Shout out the count.

12. Punching Bags ~ Pretend like you have a punching bag in front of you just above your head. With your fists, “Hit the bag” as fast as you can for 15 seconds then reverse the action for an additional 15 seconds. Repeat for one minute. Move your arms down just above the water level and repeat the actions as above. Once again move your arms down between your waist and chest below the water, open your hands to make a paddle boat and repeat as above. If you feel pain in the neck, turn head from side to side. (We actually sing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and reverse each time the song is finished and do each height for five rounds. Just makes it a little more interesting.)

13. Arm Circles ~ Keeping the arms straight and palms open and flat, make big arm circles staying under water using both arms at the same time. There is a ten count forward and a ten count reversed.

14. Swimming ~ Standing in place, arms are moved as if we are swimming the breast stroke making sure the arms go over the head and shoulder and the trunk twists with each stroke for a count of ten. Then we transition to the back stroke for a count of ten.

15. The Game ~ The game is a relay game using two balls and two teams where each team must pass the ball back and bring it up around a “post” until all members have played twice and the leaders have passed the post. Winning team is the one whose leader passes the post with her ball first. (This game usually ends up having a lot of cheating going on, but it is a very good cardio game.)

16. Squats ~ Bring one leg straight out in front. Squat down on other leg. Repeat ten times. Repeat for other leg. This must be down in shallow water. Be sure your feet stay flat and that you do not go up onto your toes. Try to stay behind the bended knee and keep your back straight.

17. Sumo Wrestling Squats ~ Spread legs wide apart as far as you can and squat down to lower your body to a 90 degree angle keeping back straight as if you are sitting in a low seat. Keep feet flat on the bottom of the pool. Hold for a few seconds. Repeat for 10 reps to complete exercise.

18. Forward lunge ~ Stand with your feet about 6 inches apart from each other toes pointed forward. Step forward with one leg and lower your body to 90 degrees at both knees. Keep your weight on your heels and don’t allow your knees to cross the plane of your toes. Push up and back to the starting position to complete one rep. Repeat 10 reps on one leg, then switch to complete one set.

19. Side Lunge ~ Stand with your feet about shoulder length apart with your right foot pointed to the right. Bend the right leg and lower your body to 90 degrees. Keep your weight on your right heel. Push up and back to the starting position to complete one rep. Repeat 10 reps. Then switch to left leg complete one set.

20. Skating Slide ~ Slide right leg sideways as far as you can then glide left leg to it so legs are together, then slide the left leg out as far as you can and glide the right leg to it so legs are together. Repeat for 10 counts.

21. “Nancy Kerrigan” ~ Get into the “flying camel” position figure skaters use with one leg straight down with foot flat on the bottom of the pool, the other straight out at water level behind, one arm back on the back leg and one arm straight out in front of them at water level. Head will be near water level at the front shoulder. At this point we will be using water dumbbells. On each count we will get into the position and then switch arm positions sending the front arm back, and the back arm front. Only the arms move. Repeat the entire motion on ten times. Repeat on opposite leg to complete exercise.

22. Stretch it Out ~ Reach out in front of you with as far as you can with barbells at water level. Make sure feet are flat on the floor and raise your back and backside up as high as you can without lifting your heels off the floor. Hold for a 5 count. Relax. Repeat at least 3 times.

Still to come - Upper Body

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5/20/11 7:00 P

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5/20/11 5:26 A

I would like to share our exercise routine of my Red Cross Adaptive Aquatic Class with you. Since it is 4 pages long of a 45 minute class, I will do it in a few postings. If you have any questions about anything, just ask. We are affectionately called The Waterbugs.

Red Cross Waterbug Water Exercises
Instructor: Becky Coelho

Pool is open 60 minutes before class starts. Water walking, skiing, jogging or bicycling is recommended for a good warm up before class gets started. Pool is open 2 hours after class for lap swimming or walking, jogging, or other individual exercises. This is Adaptive Aquatics which means work at your own speed and if you cannot do an exercise, don’t force yourself. The volunteers are here to help you.

Warm Up

1. Stretch Up & Around ~ Stretch arms above the head. Bend at waist to the side and bring arms down into the water and swoosh to the other side and bring arms above head to the starting point. Do 6 times then bend to the opposite side for 6 more reps.

2. Twist ~ With arms outstretched just below the water line; twist the upper body around as far as possible making sure the feet are solid on the bottom of the pool. Repeat both sides 6 times.

Lower Body

3. Heel to Toe ~ Stand up on the toes and stretch the calf for a count of five then rock back onto the heel pulling the toes up to stretch for a count of five. Repeat five times. After this do a little ballet walk with arms above head. This is to strengthen legs as well as help with balance. (We get a little goofy with our ballet dancing here.)

4. Ankle/Wrist turns ~ Lift the foot just inches off the bottom of the pool and rotate the ankle. While holding the hand under water, rotate the hand at the wrist at the same time. Do six rotations, then go the opposite way. Repeat twice. Repeat with other foot.

5. Point & Flex ~ Lift your foot about a foot off the bottom of the pool and point your toes toward the floor, then flex your foot, feeling the pull on your hamstring. At the same time, point your fingers straight down to the floor of the pool then flex them by bending at the wrist only and pointing toward the ceiling. Do this for a ten count on each foot.

6. Balance ~ Stand on one leg, reach up with the opposite arm. Hold for at least a 10 count. Repeat with the other leg.

7. Leg Circles ~ Bring leg as high out in front as possible and keep the knee straight. Rotate from hip for a count of ten. Rotate the opposite direction. Repeat with other leg.

8. Leg Forward/Leg Back ~ While keeping your knee straight; bring one foot forward and as high to the surface as possible. When going forward, be sure both arms are pointing forward. Then, as a pendulum, drop the foot and bring it back and raise it as high behind you as possible. Bring arms behind you, also. Do this complete forward and back movement ten times then repeat for other leg.

9. Leg Across/Kick Out ~ Bring the left leg across the right side of the body then bring it back and kick out toward the left side of the body, bringing the foot as high to the surface as possible. Do this ten times, then repeat for the opposite side.

10. Swing The Gate ~ Bring the foot to the knee, keeping foot at the knee, swing knee out to the side. Bring knee back in front then straighten leg and drop foot to the floor. Repeat for 8 times and then two times keep the foot up and swing knee out, bring in, swing out, bring in while leaving foot at the knee before bringing foot back to the floor. Repeat for other leg.

Next section: Cardio

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5/10/11 10:56 P

Spring has arrived This is a great team to share the water with

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1/21/11 6:11 A

too much snow Can't wait till spring

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1/19/11 5:05 A

So glad I found this team

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1/17/11 11:11 A

Welcome! There are several of us who are instructors,some people who participate in classes, and some who work out in the water on their own. We all love to push water around and always enjoy finding a new way to do it!

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1/17/11 9:33 A

Love this! Can't beleive I didn't find it sooner. I've been teaching water for 3 years now and got some great ideas. Thanks for sharing!
-Carolina

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1/16/11 2:05 A

The same can be achieved with a flutter kick and hand buoy's. Move is started in the "T" position.
Body stays in plank.

Edited by: H2O4LIFE at: 1/16/2011 (02:05)

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1/6/11 10:18 P

Pretty cool move we do in our Water aerobics class at they Y is called verizontal. This is basically like marching from a vertical to a horizontal position forward and back or side to side. I love this move and it very good for the abs.

Edited by: PTOWNER1 at: 1/6/2011 (22:20)

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11/17/10 10:57 A

Try CALA, too, for choreography ideas: www.calainc.org/Handouts/handouts.htm

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11/17/10 7:38 A

Teaching a deep water class today, but I'm tired of the same old moves! Looking for new routines at turnstep.com is my activity for the next hour. :-)

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10/25/10 7:09 P

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10/25/10 10:29 A

Another team member has been kind enough to write down her workout routine to share with us all--

Pool Exercises
Walk to warm up going forward, sideways and backwards. Runner stretcher and back stretch.

Shoulders and Arms
Arms out to the side – make small circles forward – five times - enlarge circles forward five times - repeat make small circles backwards = five times enlarge circles backwards five times.

Cross right arm across chest and using left hand press on right arm and hold for about 10 seconds

Cross left arms across and using right hand press on left arm and hold for 10 seconds.

Swing both arms forward and back (palms facing back going back and facing forward) coming forward repeat five times.

Put hands together and chop wood. Hands to right shoulder down to left leg – up to left shoulder and down to right leg. Repeat five times.

Fold arms in from and rock the baby. (turning right to left but not moving your hips}. Repeat five times. Keeping arms folded raise up to form a picture frame - only go as high as is comfortable.

Bring elbows close to your body and = bend arms and touch shoulder with hands – repeat 10 times.

(With water weights)
Shrug up and back down. Rotate shoulders up back and around and down Rotate shoulders forward and around and down only five times. (I do this with water weights and repeat 10 times).

Reach arms out to the side and bring the weight back do to your hips. (10 times)

Arms straight in front with the weights and stir the pot moving the weights in circle and then reverse going the opposite direction. (10 times each direction). The lower the weights in the water there is more resistance.

Legs (repeat ten times for each)

Swing right leg forward and back only as high as you are comfortable.
Swing right leg out to the side –
Swing right leg out to the side and make circles 10 times forward and 10 times backward.
Bring knee up and bicycle forward
Bicycle backwards.
Bring knee and swing out to the side and back –
Make figure eights with right leg down but not touching the bottom of the pool forward and reverse .
Bring right leg up lift and flex and point your toes –
lift right leg up rotate your ankle to the right and then to the left.
Facing the wall bend right leg back.

Repeat all of the above with the left leg.

Lift up on your toes - 10 time
Lift up on your toes and back on your heels –10 times.

Hands on hips and hula hook five times in one direction and five times in the opposite direction.

Using the noodle: (repeat 10 times for each.
Noodle under foot left up and down
Noodle under foot lift out and down
Noodle under foot left out to the side and down
Repeat with the other leg.

Before going to the deep end do a couple runners stretch for your legs.

I do my cardio when I am in the deep end.

Sometime during my cardio I go to the shallow end and jog for ten minutes. In the ten minutes I do two minutes of going as fast as I can. I repeat this one more time during my cardio section.

When in the deep end always keep your legs moving and your arms also.
Bicycle – cross country ski – jumping jacks - flutter kick your feet without moving your legs. Don’t forget to just hang and try and stretch your body up and down.

To wind down after the cardio I will walk again in the shallow end.

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10/24/10 5:43 P

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10/24/10 5:28 P

One more piece of the workout, an absolutely essential one: stretching! Time to devote to this is elastic [insert giggle here]. You need a longer stretch time with age, with a higher intensity workout, with a body that's new to this activity. Minimum is 5 minutes, my usual is 10, more if you want and can stay warm. It's important to keep the muscles warm for good stretching, so jog a little between moves, or whatever you need to do.

Remember that flexibility is very individual not only to different bodies, but the same body will stretch differently on different days. Listen to yours and be sure it's telling you "aaaaah" not "oooow!"

We'll stretch at the wall, since that's the most common. Holding the pool edge, place one foot on the wall, one on the floor. Keeping knee soft, not locked straight, stretch hamstrings and glutes on the wall leg, adding the back by bring head toward knee. Switch legs.

Holding the edge, place both feet wide on the wall, soft knees, stretching inner thighs. Bend knees and lunge from side to side.

Feet on the floor in lunge position, back heel on floor, stretching calf on back leg. Switch legs.

Face wall and sit as though in a chair putting on socks, ankle on opposite knee, stretching hip and outer thigh. Switch sides.

Stand on one leg, bending other knee bringing heel toward glutes, keeping knees together. Traditional front-of-thigh stretch. Both sides.

Reach both hands toward the ceiling, up on tip-toe, making your body as long as you can. Then stretch sides with arm over head, bending to the side with arm uppermost. Both sides.

Bring arm diagonally across your body, hand in the water, supported by free arm. Circle the hand in the water both directions, flap palm up and down, squeeze an orange, play the piano. Change sides.

Raise elbow to ceiling, hand somewhere on your back, stretching triceps and shoulder. Both sides.

End with "empty coat sleeves." Stand with feet wide and stable, arms hanging loose in the water. Turn your shoulders from side to side, letting the arms follow flowing through the water like, yes, empty wet coat sleeves.

Last of all, wrap your arms around yourself and give yourself a big hug--you've just done a wonderful thing for yourself by working out!

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10/24/10 4:38 P

Hi everyone, I'm back on sparkpeople after a long time being away. I've decided to try and only do water exercise for now, 3 times a week so joined the team goal.

I think the description of the core exercises is very good. It's easy to visualize for me. I had a program developed for me by a PT a few years back and I definitely agree with the advise to keep good form. My PT would start every session with core alignment and stabilization and make sure I stayed in proper form throughout my routines. For those with a swayback like myself, it makes a big difference when you tuck in your abs and pull the pelvis forward to counter the sway. In fact, if you don't do that, you are risking straining and possibly injuring your lower back. It's like keeping proper form automatically keeps you from doing movements that may not be good for you, at least for me.

Thank you so much for grabbing the ball with this team and running with it. I feel like I joined back in at a great time and will be motivated to keep with it.

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10/24/10 9:39 A

Thanks for these!

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10/21/10 2:20 P

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10/21/10 1:15 P

My hour-long class usually includes about 10 minutes of strength/core work. This is harder to prescribe verbally, because good form is absolutely crucial to both effectiveness of the exercise and injury prevention.

My favorite core exercise is the shooting star or shoot-through. With noodle wrapped around your back and under your arms or with hands on the pool edge, tuck your knees under your body, rotate the legs to the side, and shoot (extend) them out to the side. Then tuck, rotate, shoot to the other side. Make sure your legs go UNDER you, not out front. Protect your back by being sure to tuck before you begin the rotation. If you find this movement difficult to do in a slow, controlled way, do it facing the wall with hands on the edge while you build muscle strength.

People always think of abdominal crunches as the main event in core work, but it can be hard to isolate the abs in water without flexing with the hip muscles, which does much of the work the abs should be doing. But you can eliminate this problem in or out of the water by doing standing crunches! Stand in mid-chest deep water with feet flat on the floor shoulder width apart. Line up your very best posture: ears, shoulders, hips in a vertical line. Now squeeze the center abdominal muscles hard and hold, breathing out as you do so. Hold for a count of 4, release, inhale, and realign. Your torso should make only a small c-shaped movement. Big squeeze, small move. Do a few of these, then vary with a shoulder-to-same-side-hip squeeze in the same way, both sides, and a shoulder-to-
opposite-hip squeeze, both directions. Intersperse bouts of crunching with short jogs to keep warm and a reach to the ceiling to stretch.

Be sure you use good form. If a movement hurts, it's not for you; modify or do something else. Have fun and get strong!

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10/19/10 6:39 P

Thanks for all the suggestions, I am going to put the ones I don't do into my routine tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes.
Have a Good Night!
Lou

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10/19/10 2:02 P

Now you're all warmed up and ready to go! Heading into the main part of your workout, the cardiovascular exercise. The Big Idea here is to get your heart and lungs working hard, and burn up those calories!

A little aside about heart rates: Monitoring exact heart rate and setting target heart rate is not as reliable in the water as on the land. Researchers have not been able to come up with a table of numbers for the water that works any better than "perceived exertion". In other words, if you feel like you're working hard, you're where you need to be.

Do the big moves that use the big muscles: jog, ski, jacks, knee lifts, kicks, pendulums, rocking horse, wide legs, legs together, with big hops, with sliding feet, with different arm moves. Travel a short distance forward and back, short travel side to side. Go around in a circle, both directions. You can combine moves into a pattern (e.g. jog forward 4 counts, jack 4, jog back 4, knee lift 4 & repeat).

When I'm leading an hour-long class, I usually do cardio for 30 minutes of it. You may choose a different proportion for yourself, just make sure to allow for minimum 5 minutes warmup at the beginning and a 5-10 minutes cooldown/stretch at the end.

Have fun!

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10/18/10 10:45 P

Next installment of the solo workout info--Workout Structure. Let's say you're going for an hour-long workout. The first 5 - 15 minutes should be warmup. It should consist of movements like you intend to do in the main portion, but at a gentler pace with smaller range of motion, increasing as warmup proceeds: jogging, low kicks, moderate jacks and skis.

The amount of time you take for warmup depends on YOU. If you are young, you need less, older = more. If you've been pretty active all day, less. If you just got out of bed and fell in the pool, more.

Do your warmup without extra equipment. Leave the barbells, noodles, paddles, web gloves, etc etc on the side and get your muscles and joints going on their own before adding extra resistance and intensity. It can be hard to hold back when you're rarin' to go, but a thorough warmup will prepare your muscles and joints to do more in the main workout and help prevent injury.

Once you're warmed up, stay warmed up. Keep moving as long as you're in the water with a little jog or sidestep or hop as a transition or if you have to wait for something. You'll feel warmer, and your body will be ready to GO for whatever's next.

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10/16/10 6:22 P

LOU

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10/16/10 12:17 P

I've been asked to help solo exercisers figure out some good workouts to do on their own, and I'm happy to comply. Rather than snow you under with too much information at once, I'll do it over several days. It will also give you a chance to try stuff out. Let us know what works for you and what doesn't!

The very simplest way to work out in the water, and what I often do when I'm on my own in a hotel pool or whatever, is to travel up and down the length or width of the pool in as many ways as you can think of. Stay in the best vertical posture you can muster and walk, hop, twist, jack, ski, hopscotch, moonwalk, kick, march etc etc both forward and backward. When you run out of those ideas, jog with your legs and see what you can think of to do with your arms: swimming strokes, drag your arms, bounce imaginary balls, alternate arm swing, unison arm swing, push arms together, push arms alternate, push arms to corners, pull arms in all those ways, windshield wiper arms, scoop arms...you get the idea. Your imagination is your only limitation!

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10/11/10 11:54 A

Another great source of information. I checked it out and found it to be excellant! I'm going to workout in the pool this afternoon, if it's open again, and do noodle exercises. What fun!

Thanks!

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10/3/10 6:58 P

A great resource with simple graphics and great search options is www.hydrofit.com/home/hyf/smartlist_40/cho
reography_library.html
You can specify shallow or deep water, exercise focus, and various types of equipment, and/or a combination of these. Print off your results, pop them in a plastic sleeve, and take them to poolside!

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10/3/10 3:48 P

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10/3/10 1:06 P

Because of my dial-up for my computer I have difficulty in downloading your sources. It would probably take me all night. I am very comfortable with my work out. I went to Courage Center for many years in the arthritis program and that is what I follow. It became to expensive to continue there and so now I work out on my own.

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10/3/10 12:49 P

A lot of our team members work out on their own in the pool at least some of the time. I'd like to establish this topic as a place to go to make and find suggestions about what to do in your water workouts. If you know of resources on the web, contribute a link!

I'll start off with my favorite YouTube sources. ExpertVillage is one-- www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xpGR4qCpD0&featur
e=related just look for the gal in the red bikini in the thumbnails on the side.
You can benefit from people who offer tastes of their dvds for sale, too. Search for waterart21 www.youtube.com/profile?user=WaterART21#g/
u or Karen Westfall www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ0rqoOOQeE&featur
e=related
What help have you found on the web?

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