The pool is cool for aerobics

Imagine being practically weightless, exercising out in the open without feeling hot and sweaty, and losing 350-700 calories in an hour. That’s aqua aerobics for you.

Doing aerobic exercises at the shallow end of a swimming pool also gives those pilates, crunches and cardio some special effects. For starters, if you remember your school physics, you are buoyed up in the pool by a force equal to the weight of the water your body displaces.

Without going any further into Archimedes’ principle, the buoyancy in water is what makes this form of aerobics accessible to all: the overweight, senior citizens, arthritic, pregnant women, and people recuperating from injury or surgery.

“A person weighing 100 kg will find it extremely cumbersome to exercise on land, but in water everyone is equal. And, as it takes away some of the weight on the joints, even those with knee problems can exercise without any pain,” says Deepali Jain, an aqua aerobics specialist who conducts classes at Willingdon Club, Bombay Gym, Breach Candy Club and Body Rhythm at Nariman Point.

Pushpa Rane can vouch for this. She is a senior citizen with age-related joint problems and weight issues. “I have put on a lot of weight in my abdomen and I’ve had to use a stick to walk. I also used to feel breathless when I walked or exercised. But the aqua aerobics class is different. I’ve lost three kilos in 15 sessions, I walk without the help of a stick and my body feels light and energetic. Besides, the classes are fun.”

Jain in fact started her classes when an orthopedic surgeon approached her to help his patients exercise and recuperate. She says the result of the workout is immediate for those suffering from diabetes. A sugar-level check before and after the workout will show the improvement.

The low impact of aerobics in water makes it attractive to people who don’t want to risk injury with weight training or the treadmill. “Water acts as a cushion for the body,” says Harihara Palani, CEO of Supercurves, a fitness company that has brought aqua aerobics to Bangalore.

Aqua aerobics also has the advantage of multiplying the effect of exercise. It has more fat-burning and endurance-building benefits than other forms of aerobic activity because it is a form of resistance training. “Water is 13 times thicker than air, that means it offers 13 times more resistance than air, which means exercise has 13 times more effect in water,” smiles Jain.

She also says it is a more holistic approach to exercise which gets all the muscles working together. “Unlike on land where resistance only comes from the direction in which you are moving, in water the resistance is all over the body. So, doing a bicep curl in water means you are also doing a tricep curl as no muscle works in isolation. With all muscle groups working together and feeling the same amount of resistance, exercising becomes compact.”

Jain jazzes up her classes with salsa movements, tai chi, yoga, kick-boxing, pilates, and weight training as well as aqua equipment. Aqua dumbbells, water balls and aqua noodles are part of the paraphernalia. “Aqua dumbbells float in water and the exercise involves pulling them down. So it acts in reverse to the usual ones,” explains Palani. Water balls and aqua noodles are used for floatation drills and other exercises.

Despite its obvious benefits in a climate like that of Mumbai, Deepali Jain lists a host of problems she faces to keep aqua aerobic classes running. “Space is my biggest constraint. Outsiders aren’t allowed in the clubs where I teach. Then the high chlorine content in the pools in Mumbai keeps many people away,” says Jain, who hopes one day she can extend her classes to the suburbs.

For the moment, those with access to pools in their apartment complexes can get a personalised aqua aerobic schedule drawn up by Jain. She will make a chart for you — with exercises, timing and targets — after assessing your health and fitness needs. 

Why waterobics
- Buoyancy in water minimises risk of injury, and enables everyone to do aerobics
 - Exercise has more benefits in water because of the resistance it offers
 - It is more holistic because movements in water involve all the muscles

Swimming vs waterobics
- Swimmers mostly work on a horizontal plane, whereas in aqua aerobics (or waterobics) the body works on many planes: vertical, horizontal, tangents etc, which gives you a holistic workout with all the core muscle groups in the body getting exercised. And you don’t need to know how to swim to get the benefit of a workout in water.

Do it yourself:
Caution: Check with your doctor before attempting any of these aqua aerobic exercises
- Spot jogging — There are two kinds of spot-jogging you can do in the pool — one in which you touch the floor and the other where you scull with your hands as you tread water without touching the floor of the pool
- Jumping jack — This exercise is much like the jumping jacks you do on land. In water, you have to jump and keep the feet apart while returning to your position with a smack on the thigh. 
- Cross-country ski — This is similar to the movement you make on a cross-trainer, with opposite limbs moving. In water, to mimic the treadmill, the feet must shuffle on the pool floor. 
- Rocking horse — Put your right foot ahead of the left. Rock onto the right foot while lifting the left one, then shift your weight to the left foot. Repeat 10-20 times and then change the position of the feet. 
- Power tuck — This is a great way to lose the extra flab in the stomach. Sit on the floor in the kiddies’ pool, pull in your knees to your chest and then stretch out your legs.
Repeat the movement.
Checklist:
-You must be in a good form
- Exercise in chest-deep water
- Back must be kept straight
- Shoulders must be relaxed
- Chest tight
- Tummy tucked
- Butts contracted
- Knees soft
- Chin up, looking ahead

For more details call Deepali Jain — 9820094323