Regular exercising keeps you healthy and fit. From preventing various health conditions to weight control, improving your mood and levels of energy, exercise has plenty of health benefits. These exercises can include both land and water-based activities and exercises.
Recreational exercises and activities in water not only give you opportunities for enjoyment but also have significant health benefits. Taking a bath in mineral water has been known to treat a variety of illnesses since ancient times. Additionally, relaxing in warm water is considered helpful in relieving pain in muscles and joints, and promoting relaxation. Swimming pools, beaches, rivers, lakes, and other water destinations provide perfect environments for you to relax, rest, do physical activities, have fun and exercise.
Nowadays, people realize the health benefits of doing various activities in and around the water. These water-based activities are an essential component of leisure and holidays across the globe. When people choose the water holiday destination, they select the place which offers different and exciting water-based activities. Through these activities, you not only enjoy your holiday but also keep yourself active and fit.
According to the reports of the Aquatic Exercise Association, exercising in water can help you to burn approximately 400-500 calories/ hour. Moreover, the resistance of water is 12 times more than the resistance of air, which helps in improving the strength of your muscles. Use of simple devices during water-based exercises like foam rings, hand-held paddles, kickbacks, etc. adds to the resistance which enhances the aquatic workout intensity. The water sites are a fantastic place to conduct stretches, which helps in improving the overall flexibility of your body.
What are Water-Based Exercises or Workouts?
In simple words, water-based exercises or workouts are those activities or exercises which you can perform in the water or pool. These include plenty of different body movements for different fitness levels. These water-based activities and workouts can be customized according to your requirements or health conditions.
The water-based exercises and activities are low-impact because they place less stress on your joints. When your body is submerged in water, the impact of gravity is nearly zero because the water carries almost 90% of your body weight. The buoyancy of the water helps in improving your body’s balance and strength through water-based exercises.
Moreover, you can smoothly perform them with or without the use of equipment. If you want to add resistance to your workout or exercise, you can add floating belts, water weights, pool noodles, or kickboards while doing the workout in water.
Different kinds of Water-Based Workouts to Do
Swimming
Swimming is one of the most common and loved water-based physical activity. It is popular among all age groups and both genders. Whether its summer or winter season, swimming is a great way to exercise and have fun at the same time. You can swim in cold water during the hot weather and in warm water during the cold weather.
Swimming offers a perfect physical and fun activity in all seasons for you and your family. You can do swimming alone or with your friends and family. It is a water-activity that can be performed at any water destination if you know how to swim.
Jogging or Walking in Water
You can perform water walking or jogging activity in a pool or at a place where the height of water touches your waist or chest level. It is a simple activity which can be fun when you do it with your friends or family. You can arrange water walking or running race. Walk in the water at varying speed. Increasing your speed makes it more difficult for you to walk. Jog gently to increase the intensity.
High-Knees
After you have warmed up your body through jogging in water, you can do this work out in the water. In the waist or chest level water, do a pumping action with your left arm while raising your right knee at the maximum possible height. Quickly try to alternate these movements. Perform a total of three rounds of 30 seconds each.
Just do it in the water!
Treading in Water
When you are learning to swim, water-treading is a fundamental skill you are taught. You can also add it to your water workout for full-body movements. To perform this workout, stand vertically in the water with only your head on the surface. Kick your legs and flutter your arms in the water and do these actions for at least one minute. Then take the rest of 30 seconds and repeat movements.
Shuffling to the Sides
The side shuffle exercise helps to activate your quadriceps as well as gluteus medius muscles as it involves lateral movements. Get into thigh-level water to perform this workout. With bent knees, slightly make a sitting position as you make in a mini-squat. Step sideways to cover the widths of the pool while holding this body position. Perform it again when you reach to the other side of the swimming pool.
Alternate Scissor Jumping
In alternate scissor jumping, your rotator cuff muscles, hip flexors, and glutes muscles are involved. This is a simple and easy cardio exercise. Stand in chest-high water level with arms on your side and feet width apart. Quickly move your right arm with left leg forward while your left arm with right leg in a backward direction. Mimic this movement in a jogging style. Then alternate your arms and legs positions, rapidly to perform the exercise again.
Planks Inside the Pool
Hold the pool noodle right in front. Then lean down to form the position of a plank. The noodle submerges into the water when you take this position. Keep your elbows straight when you put pressure on the noodle. Your feet should remain in touch with the pool floor. Hold this position for as long as you feel comfortable. Repeat the same for 3 to 5 times.
Water Bicycling
This activity is performed in deep water. You need to loop about two noodles around the back of the body and place another noodle in front of you to give support to your arms. Then move legs in a bicycling motion. Continue this activity for 3-5 minutes.
Water Push-Ups
Stand inside the water on the side and place your shoulder and arms width apart at the edge of the pool. Place weight downwards on your arms and hands to get inside the water while slightly bending your elbows. Hold this position for 3 seconds and then slowly come out. Repeat this exercise at your ease.
The list of water-based activities is almost endless. You can perform a massive variety of activities for having fun, along with exercising your body. It is much more exciting and interesting to do water-based exercises than doing exercise on the ground. People of all ages love doing different activities in the water.
How Water-Based Activities Benefits Your Health and Well-Being?
Curing Different Health Conditions
Water-based exercises and activities are excellent for overweight people and those suffering from different health conditions like pain in the lower back, arthritis, joints pain, injuries in the lower body parts, stress, anxiety, etc. These activities help in improving your body’s strength, agility, and mobility. Performing the water-related activities is especially beneficial for people suffering from chronic and painful musculoskeletal conditions.
Toning Your Entire Body
Doing water activities that include your entire body like swimming tones, both upper and lower parts of your body. During these exercises, you use nearly all of your significant groups of muscles.
Strengthening Your Muscles and Controls Blood Pressure
There are many low-impact water-based exercises such as different water aerobics which can benefit people with various conditions. These exercises strengthen the muscles of shoulders, abdomen, relax tight and stiff muscles and help in increasing circulation of blood. The results of different research studies have shown that including water-workouts in your routine life reduce as well as prevent high blood pressure.
Improving Endurance and Flexibility of Your Body
The water-based activities also increase your body’s endurance and flexibility because your body is exposed to the resistance of water, and you need to make movements in different directions. This quality of water-based exercises is especially beneficial for older adults.
Relieving Your Stress and Reducing Anxiety
Immersing yourself in water and watching others playing in the water are highly soothing and relaxing activities due to which water holiday destinations is a popular choice for holidays. Just getting into the water has a tranquil effect on your mind, which helps in relieving stress and reduces anxiety. The research study showed that exercises in water help to significantly reduce anxiety and stress among women.
Weight Loss
Those who are overweight, obese, or are worried about their increasing weight, water sports, and exercises offer a great way to burn those extra calories. If you do not like getting involved in sweaty workouts, choose to include aquatic exercises in your routine. The water exercises are fun, enjoyable, have a cooling effect, and burn your calories at a faster rate.
Bottom Line
Water-based activities, sports, and exercises are a great way to keep your body and mind healthy and active. These are popular among the people of age groups as well as skill levels. Include the water-based sports and activities in your daily routine to reap the optimal benefits and have fun with your family and friends.
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