Take the

Plunge

and

Stay Fit

By Fitness Expert Mo Hagan With summer upon us, it's the perfect time to take your workout outdoors, to not only gain the health benefits that natural sunlight has to offer (such as the production of vitamin D by the body), but also to stay fit. Keeping up your workout routine during the summer months is critical if you want to maintain your shape, vitality and health; but it doesn't mean that you have to be in the gym to work out. If you love being outdoors in the summer and have a pool, cottage or lake to hang out at, then you have a perfect weight room right in your own backyard! Summertime provides a great opportunity for you to change up your workout, and as a certified aquatic fitness trainer, I recommend that you take the plunge into water. You may be surprised to learn that exercising in the water, while it may not feel as challenging to do, provides a large range of health benefits and is a fantastic way to cross-train your body and keep your mind and spirit motivated to exercise. Most of us know the health benefits of swimming, but have you ever considered water as a resistance tool to do actual exercises? You are not alone if your answer is "no." The physical properties of water are very different from the gravity experienced during land-based training, which makes water workouts feel easier; however, if you know how to move with water's properties, you can turn your pool or lake swim into a calorie-burning fitness workout! In a pool or lake, try these ten aquatic fitness moves, performing three sets of ten repetitions each. Progress exercises to five sets or fifteen repetitions. Mix and match as you like, to keep it challenging. 1. Push-ups on the side of the pool. 2. Tuck jumps followed by high-knee running on the spot for one minute. 3. Arm dips on the side of the pool ( from the shallow end to start; progress to the deep end). Arm dips are tricep dips using the sides of the pool to hang on to. Participants would be facing the water and pushing their hands on the walls to "dip" up and down. 4. Treading water for one minute, then catch your breath; repeat for ten repetitions. (If this is easy for you, hold a dumbbell or 1 L bottle of water over your head and try it.) 5. Hold light hand weights (1-3 lbs) in your hands and try running laps in a lap pool (hands on or under the surface). This is fun and challenging. wellness | fitness www.citywoman.ca ISSUE ELEVEN: JULY/AUGUST 2010 CITYWOMAN | 47

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