The benefits of exercising in water
With the summer comes the heat, the water games and simply the hours spent in the water. For those who don't have the courage to trade the coolness of their pools for an hour or two of walking or jogging, besides swimming, there are physical exercises that can be done in the water and these have certain advantages:
1) Less impact on your joints:
Because you float in the water, when you swim or do aquatic exercises, the risk of injury is low.
2) The water is refreshing:
Your body temperature rises when you work out, especially in the summer. Training in water helps the body cool down faster and reduces the risk of overheating. This is not the case in warm water, but it allows the blood to circulate better, which is also good during your workouts.
3) You can take a break without stopping:
During your swimming sessions, you can take a break or two without stopping thanks to the Indian breaststroke or the backstroke.
Three practicable exercises in your pool
If you want to take advantage of your pool to keep in shape, here are three exercises you can do in the water:
1) The bicycle for the beginner:
Put your elbows on the poolside and use your legs to pedal an imaginary bicycle. This exercise not only burns calories, it also strengthens your legs, shoulders and abdomen.
2) Jumping and bending for intermediates:
Stand in the water and jump by bringing your knees to chest level. Do this several times to slim your legs and firm up your abdomen. Once you have mastered this exercise, you can increase its difficulty by jumping before you even touch the bottom of the pool.
3) Use weights:
Using specially designed water weights during your exercises will help you build good muscle mass. The water will add extra resistance to your movements, which will burn calories faster.
Any form of swimming at different levels is also a good way to burn calories depending on the intensity and duration of each session.
Three accessories and equipment for your aquatic workouts
To optimize your training, there are accessories and equipment specially designed for water:
1) Water dumbbells:
Unlike the dumbbells you usually see in gyms, aquatic dumbbells are made of foam and are extremely light. The goal is not to lift them but to keep them submerged in water.
2) A jogging belt:
The jogging belt made of thick foam was created to make you feel lighter while jogging in the water.
3) The pool noodle:
The pool noodle is primarily a toy for children. It is an extremely practical accessory for children who are just starting to swim, but can also be used by adults to float in the water. The number of exercises that can be practiced with the pool noodle are numerous and the pool noodle is sold in packages, in different colors for a very affordable price.
How to take care of your pool?
You are motivated, you have your training accessories, summer is here and of course your pool is just waiting for you. Your pool, just like computers and cars, needs maintenance. Here are a few tips on pool maintenance:
1) Know your pool:
How can you expect to maintain a pool if you don't even know what it's made of? So start getting to know your pool. Apart from the extra accessories that you can add to your pool such as heating, lighting and even the high-tech pool cover, there are 4 pieces of equipment that every pool should have:
- Water: the essential element to enjoy your pool and which, if properly cleaned, maintained and clear, will protect you from contamination, and will prevent repairs due to corrosion and mineral build-up.
- The shell pool: the pool liner is in constant contact with the water and everything that comes in contact with it. Keeping it in good condition, away from algae and debris, will contribute to the clarity and cleanliness of your pool.
- The filtering system: the pool pump allows the water to circulate while the filter gets rid of dirt and contamination.
- The skimmer: it will suck the water into the filter to be cleaned before returning it to the pool once it is clean.
2) The 3 concepts of maintenance:
The foundation of pool maintenance is based on 3 concepts:
- Circulation: moving water is unlikely to be infected with algae. Circulation is therefore essential to have clean and clear water.
- Cleaning: In addition to circulation, you will need to clean your pool regularly for your own safety: a boater, a brush and a pool vacuum are the basic tools for successful cleaning.
- Chemistry: Take your water purification kit with you to test your pool water to understand what's inside and what to add. The application of chemistry to swimming pool water consists of the pH level to measure the acidity of the water, the alkalinity to dampen the pH and the level of disinfectant (chlorine, bromine) in the water.
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