Get Real Savvy Seniors Say Swim For Life

Get Real – Savvy Seniors Say Swim for Life

There area a vast array of reasons why swimming and water based exercises may be the best choices for seniors. Next to walking, water based exercises have the lowest impact rate for injuries. Water also provides more options for those who are extremely lacking in general fitness or have a previous injury that makes land based activity difficult. Finally, water based activities work the entire body, serving as a form of both strength training even as aerobic training takes place.

Swimming, of course, uses almost all the major muscle groups at the same time, giving a total body work out. Swimming as an activity also places a vigorous demand on your heart and lungs. Because of the resistance of the water, swimming develops both muscle strength and endurance, as well as helps increase flexibility. Because of its multitude of effects, swimming provides almost all of the aerobic benefits of running even as it yields many of the benefits of resistance training thrown in. Because swimming does not put the strain on connective tissues that running, aerobics and some weight-training regimens do, swimming is the kind of low-impact work out that is perfect for seniors seeking to regain or maintain their fitness.

Swimming as a method for increasing fitness is rapidly gaining popularity. In particular the sport is exceedingly gentle to those who are physically challenged. The buoyancy factor of water makes swimming the most injury-free exercise available. Therefore it is particularly appealing to seniors, especially those with any type of joint issues. In water, a person’s body weight is reduced by 90% as compared to its weight on land. A 220 pound man will normally weigh about 22 pounds if he is standing in chin deep water. Exercises in water can also be done more often because of the low incidence of injuries and it is more effective for exercising the entire body as any movement in water 12 times greater resistance than movement in air. For the elderly, water fitness is safe, fills the need for exercise, increases a body's range of motion and is a low-impact exercise.



A critical factor in the positive effects of swimming is the resting heart rate in water decreases 10 beats per minute while the maximum heart rate decreases by 10 to 30 beats. Though the heart pumps just as much blood as in other exercise, it pumps it more slowly when swimming. The generally lower water temperature and reduced pull of gravity in water may be the cause for this reduction, but experts are quite sure. In any case, swimming strengthens the cardiovascular system, improves the bodies' use of oxygen, all as the heart is able to work less strenuously.



Other forms of water exercise are also excellent for overweight people as the buoyancy of the water takes strain off the joints making exercise easier and more effective. With one such form, Aquatics, both the water and the exercise routine serve to help increase a participant’s fitness level. A one-hour class generally includes 50 minutes of water-based exercise as well as warm-up and cool-down exercises. Among the noted benefits is that warm water helps limber up joints and ease the pain of arthritic joints. For Aquatics, the water must be kept at 83 degrees or warmer, with 87 degrees considered ideal. Because the water supports a person’s weight and takes the pressure off joints, those who exercise through Aquatics suffer from fewer aches and pains after exercising. The buoyant effect of the water also allows for easier movement as participants move through their routine. Finally, the water offers resistance, allowing exercisers a form of strength training that does not put any weight or additional stress on the participant’s joints.

Exercising in a pool essentially removes the effects of gravity on an exercise participant. A person can move and not experience the same discomfort that he/she might feel while on land. Perhaps most significantly, in the water participants attempting to balance on one foot will not face potential injuries should they fall over. Someone who manages to fall over in the water is simply not likely to face the possible breakage of any bones that the same fall would produce on land.

Unfortunately, cold water generally increases joint stiffness and therefore creates additional movement difficulty for people with arthritis. Typically, indoor pools are kept at 78 degrees, much too cold for Aquatics, water temperatures more appropriate for lap and competitive swimmers. In addition, the air outside the pool should also be warm. Moving form a warm pool into significant cooler air increases stiffness for people with arthritis.

Therefore, the need to heat both the pool and the air outside the water can make it difficult to find a facility willing to host Aquatics. These higher water temperatures also make the pool less attractive to lap swimmers, possibly reducing the pool use too much.