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Workout Routines You Can Do In Your Pool May 13, 2014 * by Elyssa * I’d like for you all to meet Becky. She’s written up a few things you can do in the water to get fit and stay fit. You don’t necessarily have to have a pool, the ocean works too or even at the gym. Living in San Diego it’s hard to stay indoors for a workout when it’s gorgeous outside, so you will definitely see my in the gym pool doing these workouts! Thank you Becky!!!   Hi everybody, my name is Becky, and I write for .  I’m delighted to be writing a guest post for The Wellness Doer. I have a wonderful life, having married my long time sweetheart, and we have 3 wonderful kids. I have used water workouts for years, and so I was thrilled to be able to write on that topic. I have found that the water provides a lot of advantages that a pool doesn’t – at least for me – not the least of which is the gentleness provided by water. Recently I heard this from a neighbor:  “I pay a lot of money every month for a membership atescalate. You’ll also realize afterward that your arms and shoulders got some great work from this simple exercise. Here are some great articles with more details about water workouts: Challenge the abs. Start with water crunches. Go to the deep end of the pool where you can’t touch the bottom. Reach out and hold on to the side of the pool. Slowly lift your knees to your chest, while you tighten your abs. Do this 20 times, and you’ll feel the burn. Another great core exercise is the plank. In chest deep water, take a foam noodle – a long foam cylinder about 3 feet long – and put your hands on it about shoulder width apart. Sink down in the water, and keeping your back straight, hold the pose for as long as you can. Do some weight training. All you’ll need  for bicep curls is some small water weights. Stand in water about chest deep, and hold the weights with your arms at your sides. With your palms facing up, use your biceps to pull the weights up to your shoulders, then lower themback down. Try for 10 the first time. Don’t forget that the resistance of the water is adding extra work. Next, get rid of tension by doing shoulder shrugs. With the weights in your hands, stand with your arms at your sides, and let your palms face your body. Slowly raise your shoulders, using only your shoulder muscles. Push them in a slight circle to the back, then let them back down. You’ll feel that tension begin to release. Aqua yoga. To stretch out after you’ve done the other exercises, try a few aqua yoga moves. Try aqua balancing to start. In waist deep water, put your ankle on top of the foam noodle, and straighten your leg. Then just relax and let feel your hamstring begin to loosen. Then switch to the other leg. Stretch your back with the water cobra pose. Start with your feet about 2 feet away from the side of the pool, then reach out and put your arms and forearms against the side. Look up and let your back sway in toward the wall, then rise up on your toes. There are lotsof great ways to utilize the pool besides swimming. After some great cardio, abs and strength work, you’re ready to take on the rest of your day. Becky Flanigan writes for , and her areas of expertise are kids and parenting, exercise and health. She is avid about her workouts, which have ranged from aqua jogging to marathon training. She and her husband Ed also enjoy entertaining, and taking vacations with their 3 kids. Thanks for reading!!! |  |  |  |  |