If it hurts too much to exercise on land, then it’s time to get in the water.
Can’t swim? That’s OK. Wade into a water exercise class in a shallow pool.
And don’t get hung up on the notion that water classes are just for the retiree set. They can be helpful at any age.
Cathy Phelps, 35, recently started taking water classes at the Collegiate School Aquatics Center[1] off Chippenham Parkway in Chesterfield County. Since starting, she has been able to drop the dosage of prednisone[2] she takes to manage pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis[3] .
“I’m sure I’m the youngest one in here,” she said just before she exited the pool, after an “aquacise” class. Age differences don’t really matter, though, when you’re seeing positive results.
“My rheumatologist is extremely pleased with the progress since I started here,” she said.
Marie Hines, who has been taking classes at the center since the first of the year, said she estimates that more than half of the people in her water classes can’t swim. But they can still benefit from the weightlessness they experience in the water during an exercise class.
“On land, I can’t do any of this,” she said, referring to the many exercises she had just performed under the pool’s surface. “It’s just helped me tremendously.”
In addition to doing “just about all of the classes,” Hines said she walks on the underwater treadmill in the warm-water therapy pool at the center. She finds that her balance and overall health are much better.
“I don’t hurt at night anymore,” she said with a smile.
The testimonials were numerous on the day I visited the Collegiate School Aquatics Center, just one of the many options for water exercise in the area. I went there because I’d heard that the center’s water classes were rapidly expanding, and that an increasing number of residents were becoming regulars in the pool.
The aquatics center, also called the Greater Richmond Aquatics Partnership because it was built with the help of several local organizations, has set a goal to reach out to people who would benefit from water exercise.
“I think we’re only scratching the surface,” said Adam Kennedy, executive director of the center.
It just so happened that my visit coincided with Active Aging Week, which the aquatics center promoted by offering free classes to those who wanted to check out the offerings. In addition to multiple water classes, the center has a fitness room for land classes.
Suzanne McWilliams, a lifelong exercise educator who teaches land and water classes at the center, said the water is the best place for those who feel as if their exercising days are done. Many times, the water exercises will help individuals regain stability on land, making it easier to walk and carry out everyday tasks.
“I hear about miracles all the time,” she said. “It is very rewarding.”
Shelby Chandler, for instance, is a 40-year sufferer of arthritis. To add to that, she was diagnosed three years ago with two herniated discs in her spine. She went through extensive physical therapy, but the injury still impeded daily activities.
That’s when she started doing water exercise classes three times a week, and life slowly began to return to normal.
“I’m now walking without a limp,” she said.
Maria Howard is a group exercise instructor for the YMCA of Greater Richmond[4] . Her column runs every other week in Sunday Flair.
References
- ^ Collegiate School Aquatics Center (www.greaterrichmondaquaticspartnership.org)
- ^ prednisone (www.nlm.nih.gov)
- ^ rheumatoid arthritis (www.mayoclinic.com)
- ^ YMCA of Greater Richmond (www.ymcarichmond.org)
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