35 - Aquatic Exercise

Are you tired of that bit of fat on your sides you just can't lose? Alternatively are you tired of not having muscles throughout your body?

Exercise is obviously the key to solving those issues, but what kind would do it best? Well you're here so you know already, and that is pool or aquatic exercise.

One thing that may surprise you is that I don't just mean swimming either!

Why its easy to get started

Finding the right frame of exercise for you is as simple as this: Do you have any fear of being in the water? Then do simple aerobics, then work your way up to more advanced water aerobics classes (particularly deep water later). That way you can stand, and get used to the pool.

Do you know how to swim? If yes, then get better, and go farther. If no, then start from the beginning of this newsletter, and read through each post to learn the basics.

In both cases you will get more and more used to being in the pool. You'll be pushing the water out of your way, and propelling yourself forward through the waves. Using the resistance of the pool to your advantage if you will. The point is that you are pushing yourself in a safer environment. I know that a lot of people have to worry about joints on land, but not so much in the pool.

How to exercise in the pool

I never look down on people for where they are level wise. Some people are strong in some ways, and weak in other ways. Sometimes they're weak in general, and that was me when I got started.

Seriously people me doing hanging crunches, and think that it comes easy to me. How ridiculous is that? I had to start from nothing, and if you do too then don't worry! One of the simplest yet most powerful exercises in the pool are claps. Literally claps.

While standing keep your arms, and more importantly wrists straight. Elbow at a slight bend, and clap your hands 90 degrees until they touch obviously. Doing that for 2-10 minutes will get you going for most people.

From there you can run across the pool, and no I don't mean prance (GET THOSE HEELS DOWN).

Water aerobics is a bit complicated to explain here, but next step would be to take the varying levels of those classes.

At the same time or after, depending on your goals, then you can swim laps. Honestly I suggest not worrying about breathing at this point. Just get good at the form of actual movement, and just stand for the time being. Even if you know how to breathe.

Swim at least one lap of each kind of stroke that you know, and when you're done with that level up to a sprint of each kind. Meaning go as fast as you can with that swimming stroke (the one I'm most concerned with is frontcrawl/freestyle).

What should your mindset be?

Well in all times that you are at the gym, the mindset should be to get stronger. To level up and improve yourself. However many people don't have that way of thinking. It has to be trained!

I can't tell you how long it took me to convince some of my older clientele that you should feel sore after a workout. Usually about a day or so after, but sometimes even when you leave the gym that day. They had it in their minds that soreness was pain, and pain equals bad. Sure you shouldn't feel it in your joints, but your exercising your muscles is literally causing micro-tears in them. Meaning you are damaging them in order to rebuild them stronger.

In order to level up you have to level up your mindset.

Conclusion

Water aerobics and swimming honestly go hand in hand, and I suggest all of you adults reading this to try it at least once. I even had parents bring in their kids from time to time, although that is a teacher by teacher basis kind of thing. I didn't mind, but others do.

If you're of the younger generation, then I'm glad you're here too, and I honestly commend you for trying to start self-development so young. Keep it up, and don't try to rush things. It takes time to see results.

Disclaimer:

This is advice for people to level up their swimming, or perhaps get started in the first place. While you swim you should make sure you are doing so in a public facility with a lifeguard on duty for safety.