Water is so majorly good for us. Of course, the water you drink is absolutely necessary for life. But consider water exercise—and water therapy.
If you have back problems, being in the water can decompress your vertebrae. And that is big-time relief for anyone with sciatica, back injuries, disk problems—really any back problem can be minimized in the water. The deeper the water, the better. That allows for more buoyancy, and that defies gravity. In other words, it takes the weight off.
People who are deathly afraid of water probably wouldn’t get much benefit. They’d be so tense, if they could get in the water at all. And you shouldn’t get into the water if you have open sores, stitches, or an infection—or a fever, or if you’re incontinent.
But once you overcome those things, jump in! You will be amazed at what it can do for you. Once you have relief from pain, you can use various water exercise equipment to strengthen your muscles, and improve endurance. The resistance of the water is similar to weight training, if you use foam dumbbells, or something like that. There again, the deeper the water the better.
Just plain water walking is great exercise. There is the resistance factor, making it better exercise than walking on land. You burn more calories! And you can jog in the water for even more burn. There are even under-water treadmills available.
And the water is a great way to recover after an accident. It sure helped me.
I was involved in a pedestrian/pick-up truck accident—I was the pedestrian. After a few days in the hospital, with four cracked vertebrae, numerous internal injuries and a concussion, I told the attending doctors “I can’t wait to get in the water”. One of them said “How did you know that’s what we were going to tell you to do?”
When I could, I got into a water aerobics class at my YMCA, which just happened to be taught by a physical therapist. I started out very slowly, gradually taking on more, and in three or four weeks, I was able to resume my lap swimming. In about another month, I was keeping up my regular schedule.
So consider water exercise as an answer, if you have been in an accident, or have back or joint problems. It works wonders!
Sally
You are so right to highlight the benefits of water aerobics. And this is the perfect time to get into the water, refresh yourself from the heat and humidity while getting those muscles pumping.
People may avoid outdoor exercise due to the heat but this is a great time to have a work-out routine in the pool where the misery of the heat is not felt.
Thank you for pointing this out.