Back in the Game

As I told you last Sunday, I fell off the working out wagon. After my nephew was born on Friday, I finally got back into my workouts. I added a different twist to it: water aerobics. My last semester in college I took a water aerobics class (I technically could have declared Sports and Nutrition as my minor, but decided to declare Latin American and Caribbean Studies instead; it went better with my History major). Anyway, I learned plenty in this class. In fact, the class was full of football players who took it just to take it and they appreciated the class the most.

In water aerobics you're in the water upto your shoulders. With 90% of your body submerged, you have the most resistance. You take for granted the exercise because you don't feel as if you're sweating. The truth of the matter is that you're getting a great workout. You also use noodles or dumbbells to increase the intensity and resistance. The pool is also a great place for therapy for those people who have injuries or physical disabilities. There is no impact on your body and the benefits of it are spectacular. Some of the exercises do tend to get challenging because you have to learn how to balance your body. There's this one exercise where you step on the noodle with your foot. Your leg goes up and down as if you were marching. This sounds very easy, but don't get fooled. A very petite and thin lady in my class shot backwards into the water when she tried stepping down. We felt bad for her because she didn't know how to swim and had swallowed some water.

If you have access to a pool, I recommend that you try it. Practically any exercise you do on land, you could do in the water. I especially suggest those of you that don't like even the thought of exercising to try it. You'll have lots of fun and your body will appreciate the movement.