Get in the pool and move away tension, muscle soreness and achy joints with a water fitness routine that is designed to improve joint flexibility. All the major joints of the body are targeted, from the neck down to the feet with functional movement designed to help you move better, feel better and live better. Join Eliza Young from AquaGym Fitness for Aqua Arthritis Flexibility, another Poolfit video designed to promote healthy joints.
Poolfit provides a wide variety of water workouts, designed for all ability levels and fitness goals. HIIT and cardio pool workouts are the most popular, but cardiorespiratory endurance is just one of the five essential components of fitness that define optimal physical health. Flexibility, body composition, muscular endurance and muscular strength are equally important. Body composition refers to your body’s ration of fat to muscle. Cardio is only one way to reduce body fat. Likewise, if you lacked flexibility, you wouldn’t be able to do high intensity cardio in the pool without injuring yourself. As we age, we often experience pain and incur more injuries due to a lack of flexibility in our muscles and joints. Pain and injury can limit our ability to exercise. Making joint and muscular flexibility training a consistent part of your exercise routine can help you stay active and injury-free.
POOL WORKOUT AT-A-GLANCE
This 48-minute video begins with a short warm up, includes five movement segments and then concludes with some water walking. The overall exercise experience is one of repetition that allows you to connect with the breath and go deeper into the movement. Doing so releases stress and tension, while improving joint mobility.
Segment 1 – This segment introduces the importance of deep breathing as you move. It also includes movements for the cervical spine.
Segment 2 – This short segment targets elbows, wrists, and fingers. Developing arthritis in the fingers is not only painful, but it can limit independence by making certain daily activities difficult.
Segment 3 – This longer segment targets the shoulders and elbows. These joints are essential for almost all activities of daily living.
Segment 4 – This is a short segment that features a traveling cross country ski performed for three minutes. The goal is to elevate the cardiorespiratory rate and keep the body warm.
Segment 5 – This short segment focuses on the ankles and toes.
Segment 6 – This longer segment targets the hip and knee joints. Like the shoulder and elbow, the hip and knee joints are essential for almost all movement.
Segment 7 – The workout concludes with three minutes of water walking, forward and backwards, designed to provide a balance challenge and a meditative finish to the workout.
Watch Eliza talk about the workout in the video below, and then read more about her inspiration for creating joint-friendly exercise routines in the pool.
Healthy Joint Inspiration
By Eliza Young
Aqua Arthritis Flexibility is inspired by my personal journey to wellness. As a teen, I was told I would be arthritic at a young age due to early childhood joint issues. Consequently, I have spent my life looking for ways to stay flexible. Eventually, I discovered the benefits of exercising in the water and that is how my inspiration for this type of movement came about. The concept behind this approach is to move the joints slowly in the water in a variety of ways. The buoyancy of the water relieves pressure on the joints, and the aquatic environment allows people to execute the movements more confidently without hurting themselves. Moving more freely allows them to improve flexibility and range of motion. This workout is intended to be performed slowly. That doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be easy. The slower speed allows you to feel each movement to determine if it benefits your body and where you want to go deeper. The movements included in this workout feature many exercises that are beneficial for daily living in terms of balance, preventing falls, and minimizing stiffness.
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Poolfit extends a big thank you to Eliza for bringing a unique fitness approach to the platform. Optimal wellness can only be achieved when the muscles and joints are flexible and free of pain and stiffness. If you liked this video, be sure to check out StretchFlex and StretchFlexROM. And if you are enjoying Poolfit, please consider helping us by leaving a review in the App Store or Play Store.
Below is Eliza’s introductory video to Poolfit, in which she talks more about her history of dealing with joint issues.