Summer is in full swing!

yeahh!!! 

 

Summer is officially here!  

 

This month I started hanging out with the gals in Ocala at Hampton Aquatic Fun Center.  This is our third year!  

 

Note the plastic bag protecting the CD player! 

 

So far we have been rained on two (or is it three?) times.    But the motto is "As long as it's not thundering and lightning, we'll be there!"  I keep reminding everyone to wear their hats!  Trust me, it's not only for those sunny days, but is also good advice when its pouring and you can't see the instructor - uh - that'd be me!  

 

We meet on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6:30 p.m.

 

Other things on my mind this morning --

 

In looking back on some of the archived posts, I realize that in the early ones I posted lots more exercises and photos.  I will attempt to do that again.

 

I also promised a new music CD - it IS coming....someday.  But you'll be happy to know i have collected lots of music to use.  

In my own world --

 

I am neck-deep in a family genealogy project that might be seeing the end of the research phase and be moving into the publishing (probably online) phase.

 

Our daughter is getting married in the Fall and I hope to be able to get up North before then to help do whatever mother of the bride's do.  

 

My husband and I are still pressure cleaning professionally and staying pretty busy.

 

I am the proud owner (an early birthday gift) of a new 14' Pelican Tandem kayak.  We have already taken her out on the first river trip and she is a beaut!

 

Want to go for a paddle?

 

 Final thought this morning --

 

I can't stress enough how important it is to keep moving.  Personally, I don't care if you are walking, swimming, lifting weights, or just chasing the grand kids around the yard.  

Just. Don't. Stop.  

 

 

 

 

 

 Dry Is Not An Option

 Water Fitness to Go!    Illustrated exercises you can use today

Book by Norma J. Stamp

Available online at:

http://www.cafepress.com/whitetiger_llc.426477514

Online Registration for Aquasize For Everyone! is Open.

Finally!  My classes for the summer have been approved and are posted on the Ocala Parks website.  Registration is now open to the public.

Aquasize for Everyone! meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30 p.m. This class provides a workout that incorporates the use of buoyancy equipment such as noodles, buoyancy belts/cuffs and hand buoys. Class activities include stretching, cardio, toning, strength training, and abdominal workouts. Music is used to make it lively and fun. Modifications will be demonstrated for all fitness levels. 18+
 
Appropriate swim wear is required.  
No shorts, cutoffs, or items with metal fasteners, rivets, zippers or buckles.
 
To register in person:  
See Diane, Carol, or Anne at 8th Ave Senior Center or call Diane Leaf and she will help you register online with a credit card at 352-401-3916.


To register online:

Go to http://ocalafl.org/recpark

Click on the big red button that says ONLINE REGISTRATION, Recreation and Parks Online Registration.

1.   Request an account and register by filling in all the fields.  Be sure not to leave anything blank or it will not accept it. If you already created an account last year, just log in.

2.   If you are newly registering, they will send you an email (to the address you told them).  Go to your email and click on the link to confirm your account.

3.   Once you have done that, on the log in screen you can check the box Remember Me and click Sign In.  Clicking the box will keep you from having to fill it in every time.

4.   A list will come up.  Look under the heading Other Services and click on Register for Programs.

5.   Once the big table comes up if you click on the down arrow beside Locations and choose Hampton Aquatic Fun Center it will make it easier to locate the water fitness classes you want. 

6.   FYI: The Aquability class on the list is designed for those with disabilities & is led by folks other than me.

7.   Registration for Aquacize for Everyone! class is available for sign up! The class meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30 p.m.  The first session runs from Tuesday, June 5, 2012 to Thursday, June 28, 2012.  The second session is from July 10, 2012 to Thursday, August 2, 2012.  The last session for the summer will begin August 7, 2012 and last until Thursday, August 30, 2012. 

8.   I advise all participants to wear a visor or ball cap, sunglasses and a good sun block.

10. If it rains, we will still hold class.  If it is thundering and lightening we will most likely cancel class. Diane Leaf is the contact person for weather questions. 

Just some notes in addition to previous postings regarding equipment:

Never use regular land-based weight in the water. The use of flotation devices may be used to increase buoyancy may help to compensate for reduced natural buoyancy. However, using buoyancy devices below the waist can result in an unstable condition. A user with too much buoyancy at the ankle level may find it difficult to maintain an upright position (e.g. ankle cuffs). Water Barbells are small foam barbells, which increase the resistance as you move your arms through the water and are not meant to be the sole means of flotation in deep water.

This is a list of some common types of equipment you may find at your pool:

Aqua Step - used to perform step aerobics in the water using a special non-skid surface

Flotation Belts - attached to waist to provide additional buoyancy allowing you to increase your range of
motion and work more muscles

Gyro Joggers - two foam rubber circles worn on the wrists or ankles to increase water resistance

Hand Webs - webbed gloves used to increase water resistance

Kickboards - used to provide extra buoyancy allowing you to increase your range of motion and work
more muscles

Water Noodles - are long cylinders of foam that can provide increased buoyancy and increased resistance

Heart Rates as they pertain to water exercise.

I am continuing to share some more of the information I learned in a recent course I took and while we do not use this method of monitoring our progress, I thought it might be interesting for you to read about how and why it works. 

Heart Rates
Heart rate determinations are not the same for land as for exercise in water. Studies have shown that water-based exercise heart rates are lower during water exercise, yet the same benefits are the same as land-based exercise.

Aqua heart rates are approximately 13% lower. This may lead to concern for some people who may feel that they are not working hard enough using a land based reference. Heart rates will depend on body position in water. When the body is in a vertical position, heart rates will be about 10 beats lower. In the horizontal position, heart rates will be about 17 beats lower.

As an example, a land-based training heart rate of 150 bpm would indicate a water based heart rate of about 140 bpm. It is recommended that a 6 second count be used instead of a 10 second count to account for the increased cooling effect of water, which cools four times faster in water than air.

When performing aquatic exercise, be aware that heart rate may not be the best indicator of the intensity of your workout. Studies have shown that persons who participate in both land- and water-based exercise often find their heart rates lower during water exercise, yet they receive the same benefits.

Possible reasons they list for land-based and water-based heart rate differences are:

• Compression - Hydrostatic pressure on the veins aids in the venous return of blood to the heart.
• Dive Reflex - When the face is submerged in water, a natural process lowers the heart rate and blood pressure. This may even occur in chest high water.
•  Gravity - Blood requires less effort to flow back up to the heart.Partial Pressure - A gas (oxygen) enters a liquid (blood) more readily under pressure.
• Temperature - Since water has a greater cooling effect on the body, there is less effort required of the heart.

Due to the hydrostatic pressure of water which exerts external pressure on the chest, some participants shallow breathe (top breathing). It is important to recognize that this is occurring and encourage them to execute full breathing to avoid artificially and dangerously increasing the heart rate and blood pressure.

(Just like I always say!)  Keep in mind that raising arms high overhead can artificially increase blood pressure and heart rate relative to VO2 requirements. [Aerobic capacity is the ability of the body to collect and transfer oxygen from the air through the lungs and blood to the working muscles.  This is related to cardio-respiratory endurance and is referred to a maximal oxygen consumption or VO2 Max.] 

(Did you know that aerobic capacity supposedly reduces at about 10% per decade after 30 years of age? I would think that working out in the water would change this statistic. Hmmm...someone should do a study on this! )

Nuts and Bolts

Just in case you ever wondered how all that movement in the water worked, what do I really mean by "getting your sea-legs" and if all the water-based exercise classes places a greater physical demand on the instructor (aka - me) I thought I would share this article:

***
From an Instructor's point of view:

An instructor’s level of energy expenditure in a water-based environment will certainly depend on how long they are actually instructing while in the water. Chlorinated water, water cleanliness, sunlight (if outdoors) all provide an additional strain on the instructor over land-based indoor exercise classes. The chlorinated atmosphere can produce an additional strain on the respiratory system and vocal chords of the instructor. This is especially true of the instructor is doing many more classes a week than one would normally attend if just a participant. Since everyone's sensitivities and stamina is different, it will be up to the instructor to determine the maximum number of classes to teach per week to avoid over training and environmentally induced abuse. (Ahhhh, so that’s why I had to let my Friday class go starting with the 2012 season...)

What makes water exercise different: 
(a little hydrodynamics)
 
The intensity of a particular movement in which air is the only resistance will be less as opposed the same movement through the much denser medium of water.

Water provides a type of resistance known as Isokinetic resistance. Isokinetic exercise is defined as changes in muscle length and tension. Most of the exercise that we encounter in the gym is Isotonic (i.e. changes in muscle length with constant tension where the weight resistance doesn't change). (I always get these two mixed up! )

In water, the exercise can be Isotonic or Isokinetic. Changes of speed, direction and depth changes and the corresponding resistance effects manage to provide both Isotonic as well as Isokinetic exercise water-based programs.

As an example, if we move an arm at a constant speed, the tension remains constant (resistance of the water). However, if we change the rate of speed (acceleration) of the arm movement from slower to faster, we also change the tension (water resistance).

This change in resistance is not only dependent on speed through the water but on surface area of the part moving through the water. Wearing webbed gloves or holding foam dumbbells will also increase the standing resistance; while changing the rate of speed will change the moving resistance.

Additional resistance can be achieved using a downward movement of foam devices, which contain air. This air is directly acted on by the increased water pressure as the item moving deeper into the water. 

For instance: An item 2” below the surface contains the weight of only 2” of water above it; while an item 2’ below the surface experiences the weight of 2’ of water pressing on it from above. Divers are subjected to much more extreme pressures by having hundreds of feet of water pressing down and all around their body at those depths. Again, it's just not quite as noticeable in a pool, but the forces are the same.

What it boils down to is that water-based exercise programs can provide a greater variance of exercise techniques than land-based exercises when properly utilized.

Moving through the water: (aka Getting your Sea Legs)


Just as in land-based exercises, it is important to maintain proper form, which includes posture to avoid injury as well as direct the physical movement to the intended muscle systems.

Due to the changes in balance because of the forces of the water, care must be taken to avoid hyper-extension of the neck, back and knees to avoid excess pressure on the joints. Our body is used to reacting with gravity in order to maintain balance and coordination. In water, the effects of gravity are reduced, which alters the interpretation of bodily movements and position.

This positional mechanism (for balance) is called Kinesthesia.  In addition to balance, Kinesthesia is defined as our sensation of positional movement. 

Your body has another feedback mechanism (PNF) that provides muscle position and balance information.


An inner ear infection from a common cold might affect our PNF, but not our Kinesthesia. In other words, we might still be able to walk, but not with our eyes closed since our PNF has been degraded. 

Both of these feedback mechanisms are dependent on gravity and weight sensations; which are affected by water suspension. 

It is necessary to perform balanced and counter-balanced movements. Again, physics plays an important role in water dynamics. With a nod to Newton, every movement results in an equal and opposite movement and is particularly true in when an object or person is suspended in water. Without
the full effects of gravity (weight), a backward thrust of a leg will propel a body forward. This works well for swimmers. 

Care must be taken to counter balance movements to maintain proper balance and alignment. Choose movements based on the reactionary force that will be exhibited in the water and the subsequent effects on balance. (there is a method to my madness!)

As in land-based exercise programs, the frequency, intensity and duration of the workout will have a direct influence on the derived cardiovascular benefits. Intensity can be varied by increasing or decreasing the speed of a movement or the range of motion or the surface area of the body part.





***

Some of it was a little technical, I admit, but if you read it bit by bit and think about it, I hope you will gain a better understanding of just what it is we are doing when we exercise in the pool. Pretty amazing stuff!

Next post I'll talk about the actual environment, water temperature, depth. etc.

I hope to have the registration information for the summer classes soon!  I'll keep you posted!

I recently acquired a new certification.  Red Cross stopped supporting the Aquatic Exercise Instructor Certification so I had to search out another in order to keep leading my classes. I chose IFA (International Fitness Association).  I took their course, then passed their test with a 94%! That makes it official.  I am now and IFA certified Aquatic Areobics Instructor.
 
I want to share with you some of the material they gave me during my testing phase.  In the following posts, you may pick up some interesting tips, learn something new, and even discover a little bit about why I do what I do. 

I often get asked about the benefits of working out in the pool versus on land or in the gym.  The following posts should help explain that better than I can. We can also revisit some of the cautions and details you should know too.

Land vs. Water Exercise
The principles of water based training are similar to land-based training; however, the techniques are different. The body is uplifted in water by process called buoyancy and since the viscosity or thickness of the water is greater than air, movement of the body through the water provides an increased level of resistance (drag) over land-based exercise. The buoyancy factor provides support for the body, thereby reducing the likelihood of muscle, bone and joint injuries. Buoyancy is defined as the ability of water to support a body's weight. Items float or are buoyant in water because they displace an amount of water that weighs the same as the item itself. Muscle is not as buoyant in water as fat. Therefore, both the chest and abdomen provide the greatest buoyancy since this is where air and most body fat is located. This becomes more significant in deep water versus shallow water immersion.

Benefits
• Reduced impact on joints
• Reduced stress on joints by decreasing weight bearing
• Tones muscles
• Provides resistance in both eccentric (elongation) and concentric (contraction) muscle movements
• Improved balance and posture
• Increases flexibility, reducing capability for injury
• Allows special populations to exercise easily
• Equivalent calorie burn as land-based exercise

Because of the reduced influence of gravity, joints can easily be moved through the full range of motion without excess joint stress helping to improve flexibility. Deep Water-based running exercises can provide an augmented or alternate training regimen for runners who need to reduce the chronic effects of land-based running due to impact injuries.

Since the effects of gravity are reduced in water, impact is reduced while resistance to the movement is increased due to fluid dynamics. A water based class can burn more calories than a comparable land-based class due to the increased resistance to movement while providing an increase in muscle strength and endurance. 
Both cardiovascular and strength training exercises may be part of an aqua fitness program. Strength gains are not as good as weight bearing exercises on land since the weight is reduced by the buoyancy of the water. The speed of body movements through the water will subsequently be slower due to the increase in resistance. The equivalent level of physical fitness can be accomplished in water-based exercises as with land-based exercises.

Water based exercise reduces body weight by about 90% when immersed to the chest level, and 50% when at waist level which alleviates stress on joints and the supporting tissues. At the same time, resistance is increased by a multiple factor depending on the speed of movement due to water's higher density over air, which is about 800 times greater. Exercise in water has an added advantage that it can provide a user selectable resistance to movements. In addition, water pressure on the legs assists in circulation.

Water based exercise classes provide less joint stress not only for healthy individuals, but also for those special populations affected by medical conditions such as arthritis, neck and back problems, strokes and obesity. This type of aerobics also may be more acceptable for the self-conscious overweight exerciser. Special populations should acquire a medical clearance before beginning any exercise program including water-based-exercises. It is important to note that since gravity is not as much of a factor in water-based exercise; it will not be as effective as land-based exercise in preserving bone density.
 
Cautions:

Water-based exercise programs should be avoided by individuals who have the following:

• Compromised Respiratory Functions
• Severe Hypotension
• Bladder or vaginal Infections
• Any Infectious Diseases
• Chlorination Allergies
• Open or Unhealed Wounds

How many calories did you burn?

Whether you want to know which exercise blasts the most calories or how much your workouts contribute to your weight loss goal, our activity calculator can help. Fill in the information below and click Calculate. A good rule of thumb: The more intense the workout, the more calories you'll burn (although you may not be able to sustain that intensity as long).

 

A very cool link!  Of course I chose Water Aerobics! But this calculator lets you pick from a wide list of activities and enter your weight and duration so you can see just how effective the exercise is.

http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/activity/calculators

Free Food and Fitness Journal Information!

It's hard to keep track of what you eat and how much you exercise and how to tie it all together to reach your goals. 

This is just one way. But it is sometimes just that little bit of help that we all need to get going in the right direction.


I wanted to share a great free website that I have used - it takes only a few minutes to enter your daily food and activity and you can update that each evening. 

The website home page is http://www.everydayhealth.com.

There is loads of good information here, but I want to draw your attention to the "My Calorie Counter" button.

Click on it and you are presented with another page of information.  The page should be at http://www.everydayhealth.com/calorie-counter.aspx


How to Navigate - or to get to where you want to be:

The first box currently says "New and Improved" along with a description.  At the end of the description is a link to go to Your Journal.

At this point you will need to register or sign in. 
You should only have to do this once if you tell it to remember you and don't forget to bookmark the Journal page itself.

Once on the Journal page, scroll down, you should see the meals listed (Breakfast, Lunch, Snack, Dinner) and below that is the Exercise Log.  All of these have an ADD button.
You can add the foods under the specific meal or Click the first ADD Food button on the page and you will be given the option of doing so later. 

Example:

Under Breakfast click the ADD FOOD button.  It will open a dialog box (screen shot)

This is mine, as as you can see it stored the ones I added.  The yellow stars mark it as being also found in my Favorites.  Notice the Tabs at the top say: Search Foods, Recently Added My Favorites and Entered by Me.
 
If you need to add a new food, first do a search in the box where it says What did You Eat Today?  


If you don't see a food listed that is exactly what you need, you can add your own - just use the label information on the specific package you purchased at the grocery store and plug in the numbers.  Same with the exercises, although it may take a bit of research on your part to find the calories burned information.

 
The thing I like about this particular counter is the ability to add unique food items and to save all of them to your Favorites (click on the star to turn it yellow).  So if you are a creature of habit, then be sure to save foods you eat all the time in your Favorites and just click to add them every day. Exercises too!

This counter is very flexible and allows you to use the drop down boxes to select the meal, when you ate the food (today?), and how much or how many.

 
I believe they have also added a feature that lets you copy entire meals to another day - say for instance you eat the same thing for breakfast every morning.

There are many other features you can use, a water tracker, daily reports, and community support.

Once you have done a few you can see how much you are eating, how much you should be eating and how much of each macro nutrient you are getting. There is also a section where you can, and should, enter your current and goal weight. That way it will tell you your caloric requirement and be a little more accurate.

Another website that I recommend is http://whitetigerllc.com/Trainer.html.  Here you can find recipes, workout tips and many pages of great nutrition information.

A load of great information!!!!  Didn't I tell you!?

Its 2012! Time to start thinking about classes for the Summer

Now that the new year has passed, I have been working on the paperwork for next summer's classes.  I'll be sure to let you know when sign-up is open, but in the meantime, here are the dates so you can mark your calendar.

Session 1   -         June 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, 28

Session 2   -         July 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26, 31, Aug. 2

Session 3   -         August 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30

Please note there are no classes the week of July 2-6th.

To those of you who have not been with us before - Come on in the water's fine!  If you want to have fun this summer and are looking for a different way to work out, this is it!  You do not have to be able to swim, as I would never ask you to go in the deep water without flotation.  (Notice I didn't say you could stay in the shallow end :-)  what fun would that be?)

The classes are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Hampton Aquatic Fun Center in Ocala, FL.  They are open to anyone 18 and over.

The class description is: 

Aquacize for Everyone!:

This class provides a workout that incorporates the use of buoyancy equipment such as noodles, buoyancy belts/cuffs and hand buoys. Class activities include stretching, cardio, toning, strength training, and abdominal workouts. Music is used to make it lively and fun. Modifications will be demonstrated for all fitness levels. 

And for my Ocala Mermaids who will be returning - SEE YOU IN A FEW MONTHS!