Water fitness is a type of activity that has been very much in vogue since the early 1990s and is still practised today in various facilities and swimming centres. This type of exercise is distinguished by its dynamism, given the group practice often accompanied by music and engaging instructors.
The best-known water fitness activities are:
- Water aerobics: performed free-body or with small aquatic equipment to stimulate the muscle strengthening of the lower limbs, buttocks, abdomen and upper body. It is an exercise that stimulates the cardiovascular system thanks to the high frequency of the movements and the long duration of the lessons (50 minutes).
- Aquabike: water bike activity that focuses on strengthening the lower limbs lower limbs, buttocks, abdomen. Also in this case, improvements in cardio-respiratory cardio-respiratory capacities according to the fitness level of the subjects.
- Functional re-education in water: postural and strengthening exercises to be performed in water using support equipment such as foam boards and tubes.
This approach is useful for the management of joint pain and post-injury rehabilitation. Water allows you to develop greater control body control and activation of the abdominal wall to provide stability to the lumbar lumbar region and especially benefits back pain. - Water fitness (circuit training): same principle as circuit training in the gym but carried out in water with the aim of performing low-impact muscle low-impact muscle strengthening, with loads modulated by the resistance of the water.
- Water jumper (trampoline exercise): cardiovascular and metabolic metabolic activity characterised by the use of an elastic mat in water. The aim is to strengthen the lower limbs, buttocks, abdomen and upper body.
These courses held in swimming pools have numerous strengths thanks to which their practice has become frequent and still continues to be enormously successful.
First of all, it improves general muscle tone due to the involvement of more muscle masses simultaneously for the correct execution of movements and to stabilise our position within the fluid.
Furthermore, thanks to the movement of several districts, it has a positive effect on the metabolism daily by promoting calorie consumption and the draining effect on tissues. In fact reduces fat mass with consequent improvement in water retention.
The positive aspect of these activities is their adaptability; they can be practised by all
all individuals thanks to the possibility of modulating the intensity according to one's abilities and needs.
ability and needs.
In addition to this, it generates a relaxing post-workout effect due to the
hydrotherapeutic effect. In fact, water, especially thermal water, helps to de-inflaminate and
restore the health of injured tissues and allows rehabilitation exercises to be performed
at a lower load. The resistance of water causes effects similar to the small overloads we can use in the gym, but with much gentler and less impactful movements.
and less impactful. The exercises are still effective but less traumatic for
the joints, which are relieved by the buoyant effect that our body has
in water. This property makes this practice recommended for those who
have joint problems, such as congenital or overload arthrosis.
Just as importantly, it improves the health of the respiratory and cardiac system because the activities, although they do not require intense muscular effort, are characterised by a high frequency of movement that generates moderate work at the cardio-respiratory level.
To assimilate all the benefits of these activities, it is important to combine
a proper diet that can replenish what is consumed during exercise.
Although the activity is carried out in water, a lot of fluids and minerals are lost, which must be assimilated at the end of the exercise. We therefore recommend drinking 0.5l of water both an hour before and an hour after the activity. If the environment is very hot, we also recommend supplementing with minerals and sugars as well as compose a meal rich in all the necessary nutrients.
Before the activity:
- 0.5l of water
- Gel, maltodextrin, fruit or energy bar to assimilate sugars before the activity
After activity:
- 0.5l of water
- Supplement with a meal rich in carbohydrates, fat, protein and fibre such as:
- Venus rice, courgettes and chicken with EVO oil
- Pumpkin soup with chickpeas and hazelnuts with EVO oil
- Barley and legume minestrone
- Piadina with bresaola, rocket, grana cheese and EVO oil
(Article by Dr Girardi Gioia)