Aquatic wellness, for all ages

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Since beginning the Health Hub two years ago, I have never written about what is near and dear to my heart and what I do daily — teach aquatic fitness classes at Cascade Swim Center.

I figured it was about time to tell you about our fantastic aquatic wellness program and the innovative things we are doing at the pool. There is a misconception that standing exercise in the water is for the elderly, overweight or people who for some reason cannot exercise on land. It will be my retirement project to dispel this myth and encourage everyone to try some of our classes.

Aquatic wellness classes … not your grandma’s water aerobics class from yesteryear. Wellness or well-being incorporates physical health as well as provides mental, social and relationship support to affect overall well-being. Our program focus is wellness, not just physical fitness.

We are bombarded with all sorts of ideas and modalities to stimulate us to seek out exercise. The health benefits of an increase in physical activity are well known to everyone. Vertical exercise in water has numerous health benefits that are not available with land exercise because of the properties and physical laws of the water environment. Water is 800 times denser than air, if you work at the same intensity you do on land (that is key) you experience 12-15 times the resistance. Working vertically in the water will provide an total body workout benefiting cardiorespiratory health, muscular strength and endurance, core strengthening, flexibility, posture, balance and coordination. Plus it’s fun!

With our new aquatic wellness programming we are structuring our schedule that will offer you an automatic cross-training program. Cross-training, or continually challenging the body with different forms of exercise, modalities is the best way to maintain a fitness program you can stick with. Inherently our body wants conserve energy. Doing the exact thing your body will essentially get used to the amount of energy needed and improvement will cease.

Our new method of programming gives time to successfully learn what is expected, and before you get bored, we change it. Every eight weeks we are rotating the classes we offer around the schedule, sprinkling in challenges in different places.

High Intensity Interval Training is an extremely effective method of improving fitness. We offer AquaBata (Tabata training), a specific interval format. It is a class that encourages you to work at a level that is intense for you for only 20 seconds before resting for 10 seconds. This is repeated for the entire class.

Aqua Boot Camps offer a variety of segments of different styles of exercises formats. Our HydroSET class is a class focusing on muscular strength and endurance training. The class is controlled by the instructor, the speed of movement through the water and the tempo of the music. All of our aquatic wellness Instructors are certified in Poolates, using the principles of Pilates and the benefits of the water to deliver a slow, controlled class that benefits; core strength, posture, balance, and flexibility.

Fluid Combat is cardio kickboxing in the water, we have great fun punching, kicking and getting stronger. And we are coming up with many other different, exciting classes that will be threaded in and out of our schedule every eight weeks.

Let’s face it, if you are going to exercise you want it to be fun, engaging, safe and effective, have variety and not leave you worse off than when you started. Give us a visit and get your feet wet!

— Robin Gaudette is the aquatics wellness coordinator at the Redmond Area Park and Recreation District. Contact her at robin.gaudette@raprd.org.