We absolutely love our saltwater pool. It is one of those things that you are unaware of until you experience it. When our home burned down, including the pool equipment, and damage occurred to our pool, we had to replace it and we chose to go with saltwater and boy are we glad we did. First and foremost, saltwater pools are just plain relaxing. The feel of the water on your skin is calming and exhilarating at the same time. Having experienced a number of sports-related injuries, we can tell you that there is nothing that feels better than immersing yourself in a saltwater pool.
Saltwater swimming offers health benefits and is perfect for those who are looking for an exercise that is easy on the joints, as water supports up to 90% of the body weight! Thus, if you are battling an injury, arthritis, or mobility issues – get in the pool! Pain is minimized on the joints, recovery is accelerated, and mobility is improved! It will feel SO GOOD once you get in there!
Saltwater is actually good for the skin. We all remember those pools or our youth that left our skin dry and itchy after swimming! Studies have shown that saltwater can help heal skin issues and acts as a natural exfoliant. If you do not have a saltwater pool, the Gulf of Mexico is certainly available too, but contains a lot more salt!
Pool activities that help burn calories, improve mobility, and increase strength: Obviously, simple swimming is a wonderful exercise, is easy on the joints, burns fat, and tones your muscles. If you are just getting back to swimming, swim a length or two, take a break, then swim another one or two. Build up to being able to swim with minimal breaks. You may say, “I can’t do the breathing!” One great invention is the swim snorkel. You can get one on Amazon or other swimming websites like www.swimoutlet.com. The swim snorkel allows you to focus on your stroke without having to concentrate on turning your head to breathe. It helps you relax in the water and hold the proper body position to improve your stroke. We have used these regularly to help our strokes, as well as when dealing with neck issues.
Another simple pool exercise is plain old pool walking. You can achieve a good cardio workout as well as burn calories and build muscle strength, all the while, keeping it low impact. The extra resistance in the water will help you do things that you may not be able to when you are on land. It is gentler on the bones and joints and a great exercise for those with arthritis, osteoporosis, those recovering from injuries (or Prolotherapy treatments!), as well as for people who are unable to put too much pressure on the body such as pregnant women.
If water walking seems easy for you, try adding some wrist or ankle weights or hand webs or resistance gloves and try using some foam dumbbells to create some resistance. It is key to have proper form while pool walking. Keep your core upright and engaged, walk with a long stride and swing your arms just as you would while walking on land. You can add high knees, walking lunges, sideways walking, and even start jogging. The possibilities are endless.
Add some bicycles and core workouts! Hold onto the side of the pool and rest your elbows on the side of the pool and use your legs to pedal! Flip over and do some aggressive pool kicks. 30 seconds of fast kicking can really get the heartrate up and strengthen the core.
Remember to stay hydrated even while exercising in the pool. One of the greatest benefits of pool exercising is the cooling effect of the water – especially as we approach the hotter months in SWFL!