Are you looking for a new activity to exercise and have fun? Fitness clubs have a consistent retention rate of only around 70%, and that’s just the people who signed up! If you’re looking for a fun way to get your body moving and stick with it, look no further. Water aerobics is becoming increasingly popular and suitable for all age groups!
The 8 main benefits of water aerobics.
Water aerobics is a fun and easy way to get your body moving. It consists of immersing oneself in water, usually up to the waist, and moving one’s body in different ways to resist the resistance of the water.
Water aerobics is a healthy mix of cardiovascular and strength training, and it gets your whole body working! What are the benefits and why should you start practicing water aerobics as soon as possible? Well, there are many reasons, but here are a few.
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Cardiovascular health:
Water aerobics is a great way to get in shape. You move your whole body, and if you’re in deep enough water, you’re never completely at rest! Even walking on water keeps your heart rate elevated. Cardiovascular health is absolutely essential to overall health, especially for seniors.
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Joint health:
Unfortunately, it’s the sad truth: more than 30% of adults between the ages of 45 and 64 suffer from joint pain. Many factors come into play, but continued stress on certain joints usually leads to chronic pain.
Water aerobics is a joint-friendly and very low impact sport. Runners can just as easily experience the same cardiovascular benefits, and weightlifters the same strength benefits. However, the risk to joint health is potentially higher than with underwater exercise.
When you’re in the water, all you need to do to move is push the water out of your way. You don’t have to push heavy weights over your head or strain your ankles with every step.
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Muscular endurance :
Any activity practiced in water is accompanied by muscular endurance. Your body will adapt to keeping your head above water for longer periods of time, which can easily lead to less muscle soreness over time!
Lower reps with higher weight will make you stronger faster, but sustained lower intensity movements will dramatically increase your physical endurance.
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Weightloss :
Water aerobics can burn between 500 and 1000 calories per hour! Compare that to walking, which will only burn you between 210 and 360 calories! Water aerobics is ranked as one of the most calorie-burning exercises, right after swimming! But, as anyone who has done it knows, water aerobics is more fun!
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Increased flexibility and mobility:
When you’re underwater, every move you make has greater resistance than you’re used to when moving on land.
This gives your body resistance in directions it is not yet suited to, making you more flexible over time. Some of the movements in water aerobics sessions will force you into positions that your body is not yet accustomed to, which will allow you to gain flexibility.
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Interaction :
New forms of social interaction are always an asset in everyone’s life. If you do water aerobics in a public establishment, you will meet new people and have great new experiences.
And the best part is that almost anyone can do it! If you are able to stand in water or be submerged safely, you can do water aerobics in one form or another! It is therefore an excellent family activity that allows several generations to have fun!
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Refreshing effect:
Exercise, in general, raises your body temperature, makes you sweat, and makes you feel uncomfortable from the heat. Well, forget that when it comes to water aerobics! There’s no better mid-summer exercise for those who don’t like to sweat too much.
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Pleasure :
This is honestly the most important. Nothing beats the benefit of having your own hobbies on your own time. Recreation and exercise also have huge benefits for your mental health! Water aerobics can improve your sleep, reduce your anxiety or depression, increase your focus, and even lower your cortisol levels, making it a great stress reliever! Even without all these benefits, exercise is still very pleasant! Once you get into the habit of doing it and see how easy it is for your body, you’ll fall in love!
