Physical Exercise | Swimming Sports and Recreation

Top 3 Water Sports for Families

: Image via Wikipedia

Water sports are invigorating, but if you want family fun, make sure you bring your kids along with you. When kids get involved in water sports, not only do they become interested in a new hobby, but it will lead to them being more active. It will also give you a chance to spend more time with the ones you love. But with so many water sports out there, it’s difficult to decide which one to choose.

The most popular water sport out there today – whether it’s for families, couples, or individuals – is jet skiing. The primary reason jet skiing has become so popular is freedom. Instead of having a boat pull you, you control the speed and direction. Jet skiing is a popular family water sport because everyone can travel near one another while traveling at fast speeds and remain safe. Anyone – adults and kids alike – will find it to be an exhilarating experience.

Another popular water activity is tubing. Water skiing has led to many different types of sports on the water, and when it comes to families, tubing is by far the most popular. Tubes come in various sizes, from single tubes to large circular rafts that can fit several people. Instead of enjoying the water on your own, you can now experience the excitement of being pulled by a motor boat with others, which of course makes it more fun. Another reason tubing is so great is because everyone can talk about it after the activity is complete, which greatly improves communication between family members.

If jet skiing and tubing are a little too fast-paced for you or your kids, buy a paddle boat. Paddle boats are a good way to get exercise while communicating with others and enjoying scenery. It’s known as a relaxing water sport and is a great way to wind down after a busy day or week.

Filed Under: General, Sports, Swimming Tagged With: Family, List of water sports, Motorboat, Physical exercise, Sport, Water, Water Resources, Waterskiing

Swimming: The Best Exercise

: Image via Wikipedia

If you’re looking a good way to exercise, don’t count swimming out. The great thing about swimming is it provides an entire body workout. It’s your cardiovascular workout and strength training rolled into one. And, the best thing is swimming works every muscle in your body, not just different sections. If you are someone who avoids going to the gym because it takes too long, then swimming is probably a good option for you. That way you get all of your workout done in half the time! It’s time to step away from the computer, put your online casino games on hold and jump in the pool!

The main reason people don’t become physically fit from swimming alone is because most people relate swimming to relaxing. The majority of people you see in the pool are lounging by the side, laying on rafts or hanging on to the side of the pool. The only ones who reap the physical benefits of swimming are the ones you see completing lap after lap. While it’s fine to relax in the pool, make sure you get your laps in first.

Many people also do water aerobics. While this isn’t working their entire body, like swimming laps would, it’s giving them a good cardiovascular workout and working some muscles. In water aerobic classes, instructors typically concentrate on the arms, legs and buttock when it comes to strength training. The water gives you the resistance that you need without putting a lot of strain on your muscles, so you’re less likely to hurt yourself. Keep in mind that if water exercises aren’t completed correctly, you won’t see much of a difference in your fitness level, but if you really work hard, you’ll find that swimming really is the best exercise.

Filed Under: Excercise, Sports, Swimming Tagged With: Aerobic exercise, Gym, Human swimming, Physical exercise

Aqua Aerobics Ideal for the Obese

: Image via Wikipedia

With obesity levels rising all over the globe, fitness is fast becoming one of the bare necessities of life. Desk jobs, late working hours, unhealthy eating habits and an erratic lifestyle, all contribute to tremendous weight gain. To top it all, hitting the gym to work up a sweat does not sound appealing to everyone. A lot of people prefer outdoor workout, enjoying the freshness of nature. City parks are packed with joggers and runners, especially in the mornings and evenings. Fitness, however, does not come easy, especially for those who have already cross obesity levels.

Due to their excessive body weight, obese people are highly prone to muscle stress related injuries. In many cases, vigorous work outs result in spinal and back injuries as well, which can end up being a lifelong problem. Being out of shape greatly impacts a person’s self confidence. An obese person often feels embarrassed to work out with other people around, whether it is at a gym, park or the jogging track. Although they may try to follow a fitness regime at home, there are far too many distractions around and people usually end up giving up a week into a fitness regime. Aqua aerobics tackles all these problems head on and provides an ideal fitness solution for the overweight.

The advantages of swimming have been discussed at length on ghst.org, not its turn for aqua aerobics. Water based workouts like swimming, aqua aerobic, aqua exercises and aqua sports are known to have a lesser impact on muscles and joints when compared to land based work outs. The buoyancy of water acts as a shock absorber during workouts, minimizing impact on ankles and the spine and preventing injuries. Buoyancy also means that your muscles are not being used beyond their limits, helping you to work out without straining them. Being in a pool during the workout provides a certain degree of privacy so that people don’t feel awkward while working out. Finally, the water ends up making your feel fresh and revitalized instead of sweaty and hot, making aqua aerobics the ideal workout.

Filed Under: Sports, Swimming Tagged With: Body weight, Fitness, Gym, Health, Obesity, Physical exercise, Water, Water aerobics

Ways to Get a Pool Workout Without Swimming

While the pool may be the home turf of one of the best exercises in the world, not everyone is comfortable enough performing that exercise. Swimming can be a challenging and complicated task, but that shouldn’t deter those unfamiliar with it from getting a good pool workout in any one of a variety of other ways.

The first question to ask is what the goal of the workout is. Some people have very specific professions for which the use of a pool can help in their training tremendously. Lenny Dykstra, professional baseball player from 1985-1996 used to swing a baseball bat underwater in his home pool 100 times every day. The density of the water provided a natural resistance which allowed him to get stronger without compromising the actual mechanics of his swing. Following in his footsteps, one could assume that any task from swinging a golf club to throwing a boxing punch or working on a tennis backhand can be executed easily and with higher resistance in a pool.

One of the most universal activities that can be performed in a pool of virtually any depth is walking or running. Although this task will be more difficult in deeper pools, it is effective in water anywhere from waist to neck deep. The resistance of the water makes the seemingly easy task of running 25 yards incredibly difficult, providing those who perform it with a surprisingly vigorous workout.

Finally, many fitness clubs and gyms will offer water aerobics classes 2-3 times a week, often times free with membership. The goal of these classes is to perform anywhere from a 30-60 minute aerobic routine that relies heavily on the natural resistance of the water instead of hand weights for strength training. These workouts are an effective, challenging, but most of all, fun way to get a workout.

Whether or not you swim like a fish or sink like a stone, chances are better than good that there is a pool workout that is right for you.

Filed Under: Swimming, Swimming Pool, Tips, Workout Tagged With: Fitness, Physical exercise, Water aerobics

Why Swimming is the Best (& Worst) Exercise

: Image via Wikipedia

It has been said that swimming is by far the best exercise, and yet still there are many people who swim and see no results. How can the best exercise also be one of the worst?

Swimming is one of the only exercises that seamlessly combines a cardiovascular workout with full body strength training. This is an incredible feat, since those two types of exercise are so massively different from each other. In fact, they are so different that the vast majority of training plans demand that they be completed on separate days. The process of bringing these two diametrically opposed activities into one blended exercise is similar to what happens in the brain when playing a musical instrument. The process of reading notes and instantly using that information to generate physical motion is one of the only activities on earth that uses both sides of the brain simultaneously. This is why children who play musical instruments are so much more intelligent than those who don’t, as they are regularly giving their brains complete workouts. In this respect, swimming is the musical instrument of exercise. So why is this seemingly perfect exercise flawed?

The answer is that not everybody performs the exercise with the high intensity needed to see true results. In fact, most people perform the exercise with little or no intensity. The reason for this is simple; swimming is the only exercise that takes place in the pool, America’s symbol of summer laziness. In a pool, it is incredibly easy to blur the lines between exercise time and an undeserved time to relax. Chances are good that at any given time at the average gym pool, there will be one incredibly tone workhorse cranking out laps while at least 4 others hang on the wall, catching the fluorescent light rays and sipping their protein shakes like they are pina colladas.

Swimming is the best exercise when performed correctly, but if you lack the discipline to do so, you’d be better off saving your money on a gym membership and just going to the beach instead.

Filed Under: Fitness, Swimming, Tips Tagged With: Fitness, Human swimming, Physical exercise

Why Morning Pool Workouts Earn You Big Breakfasts

: Image by Vook tv via Flickr

Many people exercise regularly because of strict doctor’s orders. Others exercise because they care about their health, or because they care about their figure and losing weight. Yet there is another group of people who are motivated to exercise by something entirely different: the freedom to eat like a pig. Yes, some people only exercise so that they can hear the sweet words “carbo-load” or “recovery meal,” and if you love breakfast foods, there is no better solution than a regular morning pool workout.

Swimming is one of the few exercises that is both aerobic and anaerobic. Simply put, swimming works out both your heart as well as your muscles. However if you examine the diet of any marathon runner and cross-reference it against the diet of any power lifter, you will see there are some drastic differences in what each of them eats and why.

For those who need energy for aerobic workouts, such as running long distances or high intensity sustained cycling, carbohydrates are the most effective fuel for the body. Foods such as pasta, potatoes and breads all contain high amounts of complex carbohydrates, which can be stored in the body and broken down over longer periods of time. This means that when the body is looking for an extra push to get through a particularly rough patch, it will go to its reserve of carbohydrates for energy.

Strength training, on the other hand, requires a high-protein diet. Protein is one of the main components in muscle and tissue rebuilding, and since strength training is nothing more than the continuous destruction and re-building of the body’s muscles, having protein in the diet is an excellent thing.

How does this relate to swimmers and breakfast foods? Since swimmers are working at a sustained, high intensity aerobic pace, while also working muscles in their arms, legs, and core, they are in a position to eat both carbs and protein. Some examples? French toast, pancakes, and hash browns accompanied by some delicious bacon, sausage and/or eggs.

For these reasons, swimming is not only beneficial for your health, but also can be responsible for enhancing your morning diet.

Filed Under: Fitness, Tips, Workout Tagged With: Physical exercise, Protein, Weight Loss

Three Easy Ways to Incorporate a Swimming Workout in Your Day

: Image by Rule17_ via Flickr

Even though most people are fully aware of the benefits of swimming, most of them don’t have the time or the desire to try to incorporate a swimming workout in their day. Swimming, unlike many other forms of exercise, requires a lot of preparation time up front as well as a lot of recovery time on the back end. However some minor adjustments may make incorporating a pool workout a much easier task.

First of all, refrain from scheduling your pool workout around other activities. Many people try to get their exercise in before they go to work, which may work for them on most days. However on days when swimming is on the exercise agenda, make sure you have nothing to get to after the workout. Going at odd hours like night or weekends will make your time spent at the pool less stressful and more productive.

The next tip is to cut down time spent in transition. Wear your bathing suit to the gym, and bring all the toiletries needed to take a proper shower. Many people get dressed, go to the gym, put on their bathing suit, swim, take off their bathing suit, put on their workout clothes, come home and shower for the day. If you wear your suit to the gym and prepare for the day on location after your workout, you eliminate several of these repetitive steps making swimming a far less annoying excursion.

Finally, hold yourself accountable in the water. A swimming workout (like any other workout) can be effectively and successfully completed in 30 minutes, but only if the intensity is high and the mechanics are sound. Many people take their time and relax in the pool, which can make the average swim workout last much longer than it needs to. By getting in and getting out, you will have less hesitation about going back.

By incorporating these few tips into your day, you should be able to make a swimming workout just as easy and enjoyable as any other form of exercise.

Filed Under: Swimming, Tips, Workout Tagged With: Human swimming, Physical exercise