Wet workouts harder than they look
Therapeutic routines of aquatic
exercising have multiple benefits
Staten Island Advance - Sunday, February 26,
2006
Water exercise classes are not “patty-cake”
aerobics, maintains Pat Mahoney, instructor at the College of Staten
Island as well as at the YMCA in West Brighton.
Ms. Mahoney says the water is so buoyant that people exercising in
the pool “don’t realize how hard they’re working.”
She says a person’s weight is reduced by 90 percent in the water, so
the added buoyancy means people can do things in the pool that they
couldn’t do on land.
The buoyancy also permits people to move up and down and around in
water, like jumping jacks, avoiding the stress on joints that
workouts on dry land can cause.
Besides the increased flexibility that results, water provides
resistance – 12 times as much as air – as one tries to move around,
thus strengthening many muscles.
Water exercising is also great for a sense of physical balance, she
says. “You can stand on one foot, and the water stabilizes you.”
While the conditioning provided by aquatic fitness classes appeals
to seniors, Ms. Mahoney says the sessions draw an eclectic mix. She
admits, though, “The lion’s share are people with gray hair who keep
coming back.”
Especially at the college “we have a smattering of students from
time to time, because they want to take advantage of the option,”
she says. “I think at first their attitude is, “This is a piece of
cake.’ But I think they come away with a little more respect, a
feeling that they get a nice workout, and an admission that ‘It’s
harder than I thought.’”
They don’t usually become regulars, she says, “perhaps because of a
conflict in their class schedules, or lack of interest.
“But once we get moving – jogging, exercising our arms and legs,
stretching – people feel they had a workout, a relief of stress.
Everybody gets something out of it.”
An aquatic workout has been recommended for some people who have had
knee and hip replacements, specific joint problems, or are suffering
from arthritis and certain other conditions.
The classes also offer a sense of camaraderie, and the opportunity
to form new friendships.
Ms. Mahoney’s classes at CSI are Mondays and Thursdays 5 to 5:45
p.m., and 5:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and one Sunday a month [(718)
982-3161]. Her Sunday morning class at the YMCA on Broadway in West
Brighton runs from 8 to 8:50 a.m. The West Brighton facility offers
many other aquatic classes during the week [(718) 981-4933.]
At the South Shore YMCA, aquatics director Michael Kreegan says the
aquatic fitness schedule includes 10 free introductory classes each
week for entry-level people, specifically those who haven’t been
exercising for a while, and others who have undergone physical
therapy and rehabilitation.
Aquatic fitness exercising, he says, works every muscle of the body,
and the buoyancy of the water makes it easy for people of all levels
of activity. Classes range from 45 minutes to an hour.
The routines never jars the muscles, bones and joints, and within
that, exercises can get a very strong cardiovascular workout from
the resistance of the water. Equipment includes foam barbells and
weights of different size.
Participants range in age from 30 to 80, he says, and include some
men who attend consistently [(718) 227-3200].
The Aberlin/North Shore Jewish Community Center in Tompkinsville
offers a weekly water aerobics class for adults, according to
Phyllis Goldberg, aquatics director [(718) 981-1500].
The half dozen participants include men and women who range in age
from young people to seniors. The class meets on Wednesdays from 11
a.m. to noon. Foam barbells are often used to make the workout more
effective. As in all aerobic classes, no one needs to know how to
swim.
Those who are interested in exercising in deep water and are not
swimmers can wear belts that provide buoyancy, or they can remain in
shallow water for the routines.
“Not only is it therapeutic, it’s fun,” says Mrs. Goldberg. “It’s a
great way to work out and a great way to start your day.”
Actually, people over age 55 – the 78 million Americans born between
1946 and 1964 – represent nearly a quarter of all health-club
members, according to the International Health Racquet and
Sports-club Associations.
Romulus Staton, aquatics director at the YMCA on
Broadway, says the West Brighton facility has a large number of
people in that age range. They are being joined by baby boomers.
The participants feel more comfortable in programs
for which they are eligible - where there's no competition, and
people aren't there to look at what other people are wearing - it's
not a fashion show.
By Julia Martin
Reprinted here with permission
from the
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