Water workouts

If you love the blue seas, aqua aerobics are the thing for you. Imagine working out under water sans the pain and the stiff muscles that you often experience when sweating it out in the gym.

If you love the blue seas, aqua aerobics are the thing for you. Imagine working out under water sans the pain and the stiff muscles that you often experience when sweating it out in the gym.

Deepali Jain believes that she knows best how to tweak fitness into fun. A fitness expert for years now, Jain holds classes at Body Rhythm, Churchgate, Mumbai, apart from training clients in Kolkata, Bangalore and even Singapore. Because of the unique medical merits of the water adventures, she works closely with different hospitals too.

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Water therapy
“Aqua aerobics are brilliant for the body because water has 13 times more resistance and hence allows one to burn 700 calories per hour. Also, exercising under water is therapeutic, as it cushions your entire body and helps prevent injuries,” Jain explains.

You can also tick tiredness out because you weigh less under water and therefore exercise better. “There are heart rate monitors fixed inside the pool and the hydrostatic pressure massages the body. So, stiff backs and frozen joints can be bid goodbye,” she says.

To the bone
A lot of osteoporosis patients come to her seeking help. “Even doctors send them to me as the weight bearing exercises that I recommend are good for the bones. Obviously the size of the dumbbells vary according to age and gender,” she says.

Not only do the aqua aerobics help regulate blood pressure, they combat obesity. “In fact, it’s the best weight loss programme available. You don’t huff and puff… Unlike working out on ground level. So, obviously you are able to put in more effort when you’re under water, without feeling fatigued,” Jain says.

However, Jain is careful to provide a custom-made regime for each individual. “For instance, if you have arthritis, you need to keep pushing yourself even if it hurts initially, so that your movements become easier. We design a programme depending on what each person requires,” she adds.

Fun-filled
A simple evaluation is done to determine present fitness level and needs. After reviewing the medical history, current state of health, lifestyle and goals, Jain makes recommendations for improving overall fitness and designs an effective weight training, cardiovascular and flexibility program. She gives a 10 on 10 to aqua aerobics and sees it growing, as it offers solutions to common chronic ailments.

Talking about her clients, Jain mentions that she has people from the ages of 9 to 82 enrolled in her programmes. “Whether it’s husband and wife, mother and daughter, father and mother, the point is to have fun. A lot of my clients tell me how the training turns into a bonding session,” she informs.

Merits
Regulates blood pressure, therefore good for diabetics

Unknots muscle spasms, therefore good for patients who have undergone knee surgery.

Helps osteoporosis patients.

Helps weight loss.

Relieves pain in arthritic patients.