When it comes to keeping fit, exercising in the water is a great way to increase mobility, reduce the chances of injury, and keep one focused on your workout goals. Are swim spas good for exercise? Absolutely! Swim spas can allow you to perform a wider variety of exercises than you might have thought possible. To bring light to how a swim spa can be an important part of an exercise program, we’ve put together this list.
Benefits Of Exercising In The Swim Spa
Exercising in the water can provide many benefits that are not realized during dry land training. Water provides extra resistance which can be used to work the muscles against while also providing a safety buffer against falling. This resistance can also lead to the faster burning of calories compared to performing the same exercises on land. Water buoyancy relieves pressure on the bones and joints and can allow people who have trouble with high impact exercises to maintain an exercise regime without worrying about pain or injury. And water’s ability to reduce the force of gravity can allow an exerciser to increase their range of motion and their sense of balance without having to worry about falling and hurting themselves.
Swimming
Although a no-brainer, swimming in a swim spa is the ultimate way to get in a workout. For one, swimming provides a total body exercise that works the muscles and cardiovascular system while relieving pressure on bones and joints. If you need to find a low impact exercise, it’s hard to beat swimming. Swim spas can also create a customized workout by increasing or decreasing the intensity of the current against which you’re swimming. Swim spas eliminate the need for large spaces required by a full sized swimming pool while still allowing all of the swimming strokes to be performed.
Walking and Jogging
It might seem counterintuitive at first, but walking or jogging in a swim spa is a great way to exercise. The buoyancy that water provides helps those with balance issues while also reducing pressure on sensitive joints and bones. You’ll get a good cardiovascular workout while reducing the impact on your body. Again, the current control can be used to customize the intensity of the workout. There are also water adapted treadmills that can be installed in your swim spa to make walking or jogging in the water seem more natural.
Water Weightlifting
There’s been an advance in technology when it comes to using water resistance to improve the strength and endurance of your muscles. Water fins for the arms and legs and water barbells and dumbbells are all specially created to utilize water resistance to increase the intensity of a workout. Water weightlifting has been used by many professional athletes who are recovering from injury. It can also provide a safe way to exercise for those who have mobility, balance or joint and bone issues. If you find dry land training is causing more harm than good, you may be able to shift your exercise program to your swim spa while reinstalling confidence and safety into your fitness regime.
Paddling
With the use of a flutter board or even a small inflatable dinghy, you can get in a great upper body workout by paddling against the current. Children love this kind of activity and often don’t even realize that it’s an exercise – it can seem more like a sport or game. Simply set the current to an appropriate level and lay or kneel on the flutter board and start paddling with your arms like a surfer. If your swim spa is large enough you can use a kayak paddle for an extra challenge.
To learn more about the fitness benefits of hot tubs, download a free buyer’s guide below today, or visit us at our London swim spa store.