FUN WATER EXERCISES
When I was pregnant with my first child, I had the worst case of sciatica that had left me bedridden for the last 7 weeks of my pregnancy. I couldn’t move a muscle and the pain was excruciating. During this time, the doctors were unable to take x-rays to see what had happened or give me pain medication. After the birth, I had an MRI to see exactly what was wrong.
It turned out that the pain I was having was not just from the sciatica but also from the fact that I had a completely bulging disc that was causing my vertebrae to rub against each other. The doctors were in a hurry to operate on my back, where the chances of a successful operation are 50/50. This means that I will be able to walk or sit in a wheelchair again for the rest of my life.
I believe in the power of will and nature, so I decided to look for a different solution to my back problem and if nothing worked, I would have had no choice but to have surgery. I turned to acupuncture and low impact exercises which eventually saved me from being on the operating table.
the acupuncture completely dissolved the bulging disc in the body, therefore my pain slowly disappeared and the water exercises allowed me to strengthen the muscles of my lower back and eventually my whole body.
I started walking and swimming back and forth in a pool that didn’t excite me, along with some other exercises that demotivated me. I guess this is the reason why so many different methods of aquatic exercises have been developed.
So I moved on to Yoga in the water, which was perfect for me at the time and much more interesting. As I got a little stronger I moved on to water aerobics, deep water exercises, etc. I enjoyed them all, but I still felt like I was pushing myself to make them, they didn’t fully grab me. I had to keep exercising, stopping was not an option if I wanted to do things with my new first baby (needless to say, I was slowly getting better by then and I already knew I wouldn’t have back surgery).
It was then that I discovered cycling in the water with a Water Bike or Aqua Bike at Des-Renford Pool in Maroubra, Sydney.
It was the best for me because, not only had I found something totally different, I had also found something that is VERY FUNNY. I couldn’t get enough and have become addicted to water bike classes. Shortly after starting water bike lessons, I was able to roll on the ground with my 1-year-old for the first time. The Aqua bike had taken me to fitness levels I never thought possible for me.
Is that how it works: You sit on a stationary bike in the pool (waist-deep water) and start pedaling according to the fitness instructor. After the warm up, add the arm exercises that are also in the water. Some of the different varieties of exercises are very challenging, but very fun. Strengthens all major and minor supporting muscles; legs, buttocks, abs, arms and chest.
The case study shows that aquatic exercises are gentle on the joints and muscles compared to exercises on land due to the properties of water. “Aqua Bike” or “Water Bike” exercises are also well known as excellent exercises for cardiovascular health. This doesn’t mean that land-based exercises aren’t good for you, it just means that water-based exercises are better for you, whether you’re a fit person trying to stay healthy and fit or a weak-muscled person trying to get fit and improve strength
It’s been 6 years since I started “Aqua bike” classes and I certainly believe that low impact exercises are the safest way to work out to lose weight, get fit and tone your muscles; With that being said, you need to have fun and stay motivated while you work out. Fortunately, in my opinion, I have found the most fun fitness program of all time (land or water).
It turns out that the “Water Bike” and “Water Treadmill” classes are also great for hydrotherapy. It’s certainly more fun than walking up and down the lane of a swimming pool.
Here are other aquatic fitness centers in Australia that have this wonderful program; I really think if it’s near you, you should try this.
Enjoy!
