Pool Workouts

sunnysmile

Hi Fellow Fitnesspals,

Does anyone use the pool for their exercising. I have been building up swimming laps (freestyle and breast stroke). Also doing some aqua jogging and water aerobics. I would love to chat with people that are trying to use this as a main exercise, how to increase my muscles and strength, as well as improve my swimming.

If anyone is interested in an ongoing dialogue, and supporting each other in this process, please answer this posting.

Thanks and have a great day.

Sunny

FireRox21

Hello fellow swimmer! I too, use the pool as my main source of workouts. I have rheumatoid arthritis, so treadmills, ellipticals, and bikes are out of the question. I have been a competitive swimmer for 12 years, so my workouts consist of training for meets and endurance. I also do water aerobics classes and weight workouts in the pool. I can't lift weights in the regular gym, but I pretty much do the same routine in the water. So far, it has worked for me, although slowly.

My best advice is to alternate your swim workouts with one day just swimming laps and one day warming up with some laps, but then focusing on weight/resistance training in the water. In order for lap swimming to be the most effective, you just have to keep swimming...even when you get tired. This will burn the most calories while building endurance. As for resistance/weight training, try to do these exercises in deep water while treading water. Remember, low weight and high reps.

Losing weight in the pool is a slower process than treadmills, etc. Just be patient.

sunnysmile

Thanks for your good advice. When I feel like I'm too fatigues to continue I will remember what you said about that being the time I will improve and burn fat ... that is a great motivator. My husband swims with me and he swims so fast and for so many more laps that my small improvements don't always feel as big as they are for me. I will start using the pool handweights and remember more reps, less weight.

I look forward to more thoughts when you want to share them.

Sunny

FireRox21

LOL!!! It is kinda the same situation with me but reversed. My fiance swims with me as well, but I'm the one that will swim like a fish while he is lagging behind. At least I get him in the water!!!

Just remember to listen to your body. There is no shame in taking a 10-20 second rest at the wall to catch your breath when you are really tired. Your muscles need oxygen to function properly and to avoid cramps. Just remember that though you are tired, keep swimming! Take no more than 30 seconds rest and even if you are barely moving through the water, just keep moving. This will keep your heartrate up allowing calories to burn. Also, don't worry about keeping up with your husband. Set a goal for yourself as to how many laps you want to swim in a certain amount of time and strive for that. You WILL notice that you will get stronger and faster. You might want to consider breaking up your lap swimming workouts with kicking and pulling laps. You can swim 3 laps freestyle and one lap breaststroke or vice versa. I am a IM swimmer and get bored SUPER easy if I had to swim all freestyle, so I always break up my workouts with stroke work.

As for kicking and pulling work, you can kick with a kickboard or kick with a kickboard and fins to move faster through the water, but will absolutely BURN your butt and thighs! Pull work is done with a pull bouy (check out swimoutlet.com and search pull bouy to see what I mean). This will isolate your upper body. Though it may be slower, it will help you even out your strokes to get more air, allow you to swim longer, and clean up your technique to prevent injury. However, I DO NOT recommend using hand paddles just yet. These require excellent technique and if used improperly can lead to serious injury (I hurt myself pretty bad late last year like this).

And finally....if you would like some already planned workouts that you can adjust to your liking and or times, try swimplan.com This site lets you pick and choose what you want to do, how long you want the workout to be, etc. Have fun and keep swimming!

sunnysmile

ok, don't laugh, but I swim using a snorkel and goggles. I don't worry about the breathing issue anymore because with the snorkel I can breathe deeply without surfacing (so to speak). I had hurt my neck a few years ago in an accident and this lets me swim better than without it. I usually do one lap of freestyle and then one of breast on the way back ... I guess they use different muscles and I am faster at freestyle and slower at breast so it gives me some recovery time and then I don't need time usually at the end in between laps. If I switch to trying to do freestyle laps in a row without switching out then I know I will need some rest in between. I have fins and have been thinking it was time to start using them again ... and yes, it burns the butt and thighs but it also is terrific.

Isn't it fun seeing our men in bathing suits? I always tell my husband how much I enjoy that (men love to hear that anyway). And I like when he comes over before he leaves the pool to give me a kiss (and the other women wonder why is he with her ... ha ha ha, that's fun (since they are younger and slimmer.

FireRox21

ok, don't laugh, but I swim using a snorkel and goggles. I don't worry about the breathing issue anymore because with the snorkel I can breathe deeply without surfacing (so to speak). I had hurt my neck a few years ago in an accident and this lets me swim better than without it. I usually do one lap of freestyle and then one of breast on the way back ... I guess they use different muscles and I am faster at freestyle and slower at breast so it gives me some recovery time and then I don't need time usually at the end in between laps. If I switch to trying to do freestyle laps in a row without switching out then I know I will need some rest in between. I have fins and have been thinking it was time to start using them again ... and yes, it burns the butt and thighs but it also is terrific.

Isn't it fun seeing our men in bathing suits? I always tell my husband how much I enjoy that (men love to hear that anyway). And I like when he comes over before he leaves the pool to give me a kiss (and the other women wonder why is he with her ... ha ha ha, that's fun (since they are younger and slimmer.

No worries! Using a snorkel is starting to become popular in the Masters' swimming community and at the college level. It allows for longer sets, controlled breathing, and better stroke work.

I CANNOT get my fiance in a pair of Speedos. I did get him to wear jammers under his swim trunks (he claimed he needed *ahem* "support down there". I always get the looks from the skinny minnies too...he will kiss me before heading to the treadmills and I head to the pool. They look at this big, buff military guy and then see me (this short, stocky girl) and wonder why!

sunnysmile

Good morning, hope you had a great weekend. Today I went to the pool ... had three days off because of a combination snow and the pool being closed on the weekend for a swim meet. I did what you suggested, when I was tired I pushed myself to go further, even if slowly. I did two more lengths for a total of 32. Within that I alternated again between freestyle and breast strokes but I did do three freestyle legnths in a row toward the end. I would like to build up my strength so I can do several freestyle in a row and at least I saw some progress that way today. Also, though this may sound strange, when I was walking back to the car after the exercise I noticed that while I still had a limp in my walk (from an accident a few years back that becomes more pronounced when the leg is tired) it was a faster limp ... so my walking speed is increasing. yahoo.

How was your weekend? Your pool workouts? Now I am going to research how to keep my snorkel mask from fogging up.

Regards,
Sunny

XFitMojoMom

During the winter I go to my local aquatic center and I do laps. I was going Monday evenings, but switching to Sunday afternoons. The best part of that workout is sitting in the sauna after my laps!
I'm looking forward to the summer so I can do my own thing in my pool - I run laps, do high knees, jumping jacks, weight (yes, I bring rubberized weights into the pool, scissor kicks - anything really that engages my full core.

FireRox21

Good job Sunny!!! Swimming is great for stretching out the muscles, so that could be why your leg is a little better. As for your mask fogging up, there are some good spray anti-fog products out there. Check swimoutlet.com. If you want to go cheaper and your eyes are super sensitive, you can wipe a very thin layer of Dawn dish soap on the inside of the mask then wipe out with a dry paper towel. If you don't want any chemicals and aren't too grossed out, you can use saliva on the inside lens of the mask. Just make sure you don't have a cold or anything as bacteria from your mouth can get in your eyes. The saliva trick is more of a quick fix though.

Keep at it; you're doing great!

sunnysmile

Two myfitnesspal pals to chat with re: swimming / pool workouts ... nirvana


Pam ... Glad to have two people to chat with re: swimming. I love doing water aerobic moves in the water too ... sounds like what you do water aerobic moves in the summer at your home pool. I have been to a lot of water aerobic classes and the moves are terrific exercise. I also do aqua jogging in the deep end. Have you been to a water aerobic class or are you designing your own moves for the pool? FireRox knows a lot about swimming and I'm glad of her opinions.

FireRox, I just read today that sometimes the new masks have a silicon spray coating on them and so to wash it with dishwashing soap to remove and then I'll see if my normal "spit in the mask" helps keep the fog away. I had bought new mask and snorkel because I had broken the clip attaching the snorkel to the mask ... turns out the manufacturer is more than happy to send a replacement clip ... so now I'll have two sets. Good point about not using salivia if I have a cold. I will look into the sprays as a backup.

Have to work late tonight, waiting on the work to come in and then to bed to get up early for the pool (to start the work grind all over again).

Sunny

XFitMojoMom

Sunny - I took a an aquafitness class while I was pregnant, then recently a deep H20 class - which was surprisingly hard. You needed to wear a life belt that would make you buoyant and would tend to tip you either forward of back - so you really needed to engage your core to keep yourself upright in the pool. I missed the pool in the winter, so I go to adult free swim once a week just to change up the routine a little.

LOL on Nirvana! Small pleasures...small pleasures.

sunnysmile

Hi Fellow Water Lovers,

I did well today in the pool. I put in 40 minutes, 20 of which was aqua jogging with resistance booties on (including some deep water exercises), and then I did 20 minutes of swimming freestyle and breast stroke. I do feel like I am becoming more flexible, also I think I am gaining more strength in my muscles.

I was talking with my husband about a good reward when I lose a large amount of weight (like 100 pounds) and I was thinking of one of the reclining massage chairs. Nothing sounds more wonderful than a massage for my shoulders after a workout.

I tried cleaning my snorkle mask with dishwashing liquid and it did work to remove whatever film was on it that was preventing it from being fog free in the pool ... so a small success there.

On water aerobics and aqua jogging ... it is amazing how challenging some of this can be, but I do better at all of it in the pool than on land for the moment ... I have arthritic knees.

I hope you are having a great day ... read an article that the Chile earthquake has shifted the earth on its axis and thus shortened our day by a fraction of a millisecond, so we have less time to eat now (hooray).

Sunny

FireRox21

Wow, a massage chair sounds awesome!

Everyday in the water is a success. It helps with flexiblity, strength, and stamina. I too can only workout in the water, so I understand completely. Plus, jogging in water, although slower, will save your knees and other joints from so much wear and tear!

Yeah, I read that article too about the quake. I didn't even know that the Sumatran quake did the same thing!

sunnysmile

Hi Pals,

I agree about swimming helping with flexibility, stamina, strength, etc. It's also not soo bad for my social life, am meeting some nice people at the pool.

Today I swam 30 lengths but swam them faster and with more strength. I did some stretching afterwards and that felt good. And am noticing my posture is better, my shoulder blades are pushing together in a more proper upper posture for standing and sitting. My legs are more flexible and stretched. Woo hoo, some progress. Not sure I will see it on the scale this week but at least I am seeing progress in my fitness.

And I am dreaming about the massage chair. My husband and I were talking about perhaps trying out some of the portable inserts for massaging to see if they work well as an initial reward, they don't cost much but don't know how good they are. The real massage chair that I think I want is around $1200 so that is not something to give for a small weight loss, but I am worth it if I make it to 100 pounds weight loss (or maybe 75 is soon enough).

FireRox, you mentioned your Man is Military, are you posted near a base somewhere? It takes a strong courageous man to be in the military, my sister-in-law's family are Navy, Marine. I have great admiration for those who help defend us.

Have a great day everyone!

Sunny

FireRox21

He was Army for a little over 6 years stationed in Ft. Carson, CO. He served a few tours...Iraq, Bosnia, and Afghanistan. At least that's what I know. He doesn't like to talk about it. He was shot in the back in Bosnia, so it brings back some bad memories for him. But, he still has the military brain, look, walk, and talk to him. We make a good couple since I was in the Fire Department for a few years which is para-military, so we think alike! Also, my uncle is still active in the Army and just shipped out for his third or fourth tour to Afghanistan. He is almost 60 years old, but he works super-secret intelligence, so the military just won't let him retire.

Good job on increasing your laps. Just make sure you stretch your lower back and your gluteals. Sometimes, swimmers will develop "swayback". It's where your upper body gets a little over-developed and your hips start sticking out to the front while your lower back "sways". I'm guilty of not stretching enough, so I'm getting a little swaybacked.

Yeah, $1200 is a big pricey for the massage chair. Inserts for chairs would be just as good. We can all dream though can't we?? Keep up the great work!!!!

sunnysmile

Just make sure you stretch your lower back and your gluteals. Sometimes, swimmers will develop "swayback". It's where your upper body gets a little over-developed and your hips start sticking out to the front while your lower back "sways".

Are the gluteals the muscle of the rear end? I certainly don't want those to be bigger since I have a big one to begin with ... but how to I stretch that. Also sway back ... I swim with a snorkel and wonder if that is better for not developing it because I am not lifting for breathing.

What stretches do you recommend? Mainly these days my shoulder muscles (near the neck) are tight and painful.

thanks for your thoughts, I appreciate it.

I would imagine working in a Fire Department is very hard work, were you adminsitrative or did you fight fires also?

Sunny

FireRox21

Yep, the glutes are the butt muscles. The human body has three gluteal muscles; the minimus, maximus, and there's a middle one but I can't remember the scientific name. Good stretches for those are touching your toes, sitting on the floor and making a diamond shape with your legs...done by placing the soles of your feet together and bending forward at the waist gently, gentle lunges, and the chair. The chair is basically crossing one foot over the opposite knee and bending as if you are sitting in a chair. These stretches are also good for your hips, inner thighs, and groin areas.

A good stretch for your upper back and shoulders is to wrap your arms around yourself as if you are giving yourself a hug and gently stretch. This will stretch out the small inner muscles of your shoulders and upper back. Be very cautious when stretching your neck. Never do the full circle roll! Stretch each side of your neck independently and very gently. The neck is connected to the spine and upper back muscles through thin little strips of muscles called the supraspinatus muscles. If one of those becomes torn or inflammed, it is a whole world of hurt!!!!

As far as the Fire Department, I started out with Fire Prevention, then spent a couple of years fighting fire and instructing at Explorer Fire Academies, then went back to Fire Prevention and Arson Investigation. I couldn't do the heavy stuff anymore as my RA just got too severe.

XFitMojoMom

just realized I will likely miss my swim this week again, as we are taking our girls to see Disney on Ice on the Sunda when I usually swim :sad: Today is free swim, but I have my personal trainer - I may try to get there on Saturday, but that is usually the busiest day (plus it being spring break - the pool will be packed).

sunnysmile

Howdy!

I also am not going swimming today ... I can itchy sometimes from the chlorine in the pool and found a pool that uses very little because they use ultraviolet cleaning ... so I am getting itchy in one spot because I increased the workout from 35 minutes to 40 minutes a few times this week. I think 35 minutes is the magic number in the pool to avoid the itching. Today instead I am going to work out on the Wii. First time I'm doing land exercise instead of pool but I think any exercise is good exercise.

Pam - do you find the personal trainer makes a difference? I have been considering it but the money is tight. Wonderful about going to Disney on Ice ... what fun. It's funny, I think they are on Spring break here and the pool has been surprisingly empty ... maybe people will be away and it will be emptier than usual ... never know.

Fire ... thanks for the info on stretching. I definitely need to do some very gentle neck and shoulder stretches as that area hurts. Your career is fascinating, very physical, challenging, and I would expect always changing. Do you do arson investigations now? Fire is such a scary thing.

I'll let you know how the Wii goes today. I haven't been in sneakers for exercising in a while, this involves more walking and dancing gently than like step movements which would flair my knees.

Have a great day!
Sunny

workingitout

I have always loved to swim. When I was 10, I had to swim laps to try to improve my bad knees, and I've loved it ever since. However, for years now, I feel like I can only swim with a kickboard. When I do, it works my legs out really great, and I have good speed and endurance. One time a more "professional" looking lap swimmer (you know the kind, with all the equipment, Speedo suit, hair cap, etc.) told me she was impressed with how long and fast I could swim using the kickboard - to her it was torture. Anyway, I recently bought goggles and tried freestyle again, but I just feel uncoordinated and have trouble breathing every other stroke or so. It leaves me out of breath and not able to swim near as many laps. Do you think it's ok to only swim with a kickboard as long as I mix in other upper body workouts on other days? It does seem like very good exercise, as I'm exhausted afterwards and my leg muscles are definitely worn out.

paddlemom

Hey Sunny!!! Nice to meet up with you on another thread! I hadn't seen your Pool posting before!. Great idea!
Firerox, thanks for so much good info. I started swimming regularly about a year ago - I grew up on the water and would pretty much swim rather than do any other form of exercise. In fact, I am finding that when I slack off on my swimming in favour of other things at the gym, I really stall my weight loss and generally don't feel as good.

I have really missed it this week though, I rotated a vertibra (in the shower, shaving my legs, no less!!!) and found that even though it settled after a day or two, it really was agrivated in the pool. Finally went to my chiropractor and am back on the mend. Your comments about the sway back made so much sense, since that was what is getting stiff. Now that I'm ready to jump back in the water, my Dr. has given me some lower back strengthening exercises, so that should hopefully offset the sway back issue.

Maybe you can help about the breathing though...I never had any formal lessions, so I pretty much wing it and I'm getting better, but still am not sure how to breathe so that I can get a good rythm going. Breathing in to the side is fine, but how and at what point in the stroke should I be breathing out? Through the nose, the mouth, both? Slowing through the whole stroke, or explosively at the end? Help? I can do 30 minutes on the eliptical no problem, but I can't get through 2 lengths of the pool, even at a slower pace without getting so winded that I have to catch my breath. I really would like to be able to go back and forth at a slow and steady pace without stopping. I don't get muscle fatigued, just out of breath.

I typically do 4 lengths of breast stroke to warm up, then try and get 30 - 40 lengths (25 yds/23 M) of front crawl in (2 lengths, then about 30 seconds - 1 minute recovery, repeat) at a pace of around 10 lengths in 15 minutes total. Then I finish with 4 lengths kickboard. I was swimming really fast and pulling hard and could only do one length at a time, and needed a much longer recovery, but went out with my daughter and she had me slow down A LOT!!! and glide each stroke somewhat, which made a huge difference.

LOL...I am looking at the new post - Hi workingitout! - that appeared as I opened this reply...apparently I'm not the only one with this issue....

XFitMojoMom

I rarely do the crawl - I opt for 20-30 lengths (25 yard) of breaststroke with a rest after 5 lengths. At the end I'll do 5 lengths with the kickboard.
Sunny - it's hard for me to determine if the trainer is "worth it" because I've been with him for a little over a year now and lost 10 lbs and gained 10 back after seeing a nutritionist who suggested I eat 1500 calories/daily. Since then, I have not managed to lose the 10. I'm seeing an endocrinologist tomorrow and hopefully we can sort this problem out.

sunnysmile

Hi everyone.

Welcome Workingitout and Paddlemom ... nice to see you here (and Paddlemom, I enjoy our other chat area too).

Some thoughts for Workingitout re: breathing ... because I have neck injury from an accident in 2005 (hit by SUB while walking across the street) I have some difficulty turning my head comfortably for normal swimming breathing (although this is improving with time) ... what I found that solved this was snorkel set ... I use the snorkel goggles and breathing tube. Now I don't have to do any of the breathing moves, can concentrate on my stroke more and can always take deep breaths which helps my swimming. There are a few types of snorkels. I have tried the swimmers snorkel which can rotate so you can do freestyle and then backstroke later ... but I found it difficult because they want you to breath in the tube and out the nose I think ... when I used a nose plug with this it was better. Then I decided to try the snorkel swimming set ... PERFECT ... my nose is covered by the mask and I breathe in and out of the tube very naturally. I can only do freestyle and breast with it, but if I want to do backstroke I take off the breathing tube. I hope this idea might be helpful, if you try it let me know how it turns out.


Paddlemom ,,, what kind of exercises did they give you for sway back? I am wondering since I don't raise myself up for breathing or for using the flippers (since I don't need the kickboard to breathe) if I am avoiding swayback. My shoulders tend to hurt after swimming but not my back at all, that is gaining strength. Firerox knows a lot about swayback and the proper technique for swimming, I am still learning but I do love my snorkel and mask.

I am thinking tomorrow I may try the fins for a few lengths ... first time in a while. Today I did some Wii Fit, a new program that encourages you to do walking by building a town as your walk ... it counts your steps if you step on the beat ... I think I did about 2000 steps (not the best but not the worst).

Sunny

paddlemom

Paddlemom ,,, what kind of exercises did they give you for sway back? I am wondering since I don't raise myself up for breathing or for using the flippers (since I don't need the kickboard to breathe) if I am avoiding swayback. My shoulders tend to hurt after swimming but not my back at all, that is gaining strength. Firerox knows a lot about swayback and the proper technique for swimming, I am still learning but I do love my snorkel and mask.

I

I need to look for the machine that he was describing at my gym, it is basically a bar across my mid back that you push back against, like sitting bent over then pushing back to a leaning back position. He told me to try the same thing with a theraband; anchoring it and then holding it in front of me while sitting then leaning back - kind of like 'backward' crunches, so that you are contracting that lower back area when you are pulling up. I also found this website that has some of the pretty basic back exercises http://www.globalspine.net/exercises.html

I swim Mon/Wed/Fri and try to get to the gym Tues/Thur (in an ideal world :bigsmile: ) and have been using the gym equipment, and I realized that I'm working my abs and my upper body, but have done nothing to work my lumbar area, which is why I think I put my back out in the first place.

I also need to get a new stability ball, it's marvelous for that lower back, just using it as a seat when I am watching TV or working on the computer. Another lady has hers here at work, I told her I was going to bring mine in and we could be BA's with Balls..:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

sunnysmile

Hi everyone! Happy Friday

Thanks for the website Shari. I looked at it and it has great photos and explanation of why certain moves are good and others are bad. I like the seated stretch for the back before and after swimming, I'm going to have to add that in. Luckily they have some bleacher seating at the pool so that should not be too hard to add in.

Today I weighed myself and I am up 0.4 pounds from last week (not a lot). It's not a lot but it is frustrating as I did track calories and exercised. I did go out to dinner Saturday and brunch Sunday but I tried to be careful. Oh well, I am continuing. I got great advice on the 300+ chat about it, so that is encouraging.

Today I did aqua jogging in the pool, 35 minutes (to avoid making my skin itch I am limiting my time to 35 minutes and then oiling up after my shower. I used the aqua jogging booties ... they are really good.

These are the aqua joggers I use:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00635445000P?vName=Fitness & Sports&cName=Scuba&Swimming&sName=Specialty Accessories&psid=FROOGLE01&sid=IDx20070921x00003a

(odd that Sear's carries them). I was reading the description and for the first time I realized I can put these on my hands for some extra upper body resistance. I will have to remember that and try that soon.

I could use some encouraging words today ... I know that sometimes when losing weight you can not lose sometimes and then the next week even lose double ... I also know that my body feels better, more toned, I am standing better, moving better, more flexible, stronger. So I need to think about that. And I am lighter than I was in January ... and I guess 0.4 increase could be from a lot of things and not mean much.

Have a great day!
Sunny

FireRox21

Hey Sunny, no worries! Since I started this journey, I have gone a couple of weeks in a row without losing anything or even gaining a pound. You just have to remember that our bodies take time to adjust to new things and occasionally will resist. Persistence is the key. Also, being female has a BIG impact on weight loss. Women just biologically have more going on than men. And every woman is different. There are tons of factors like age, environment, even race/ethnicity that will affect how weight is gained or lost.

So, hang in there and keep up the good work. Don't get discouraged. This is a lifestyle change and though it takes time AND can be one of the most frustrating and/or challenging things we have ever done to ourselves, it pays off in the end!

You CAN do it!!!! :happy:

Sweetie_Pie92

I love pool workouts! In fact next term at the college I'm taking a water aerobics class, which should be a lot of fun!

jessmomof3

I'm glad that I found this thread!! I am a somewhat swimmer. I call myself that because I'm mainly a runner/ biker but I got into the swimming to do triathlons a couple years ago. I was never much of a swimmer, so it was a challenge when I first started! Learning how to be efficient at freestyle has taken a lot of practice (and I'm still not a super speedy swimmer, but I have great endurance! :laugh: ).

Anyway... I am currently NOT running because I'm injured (possible stress fracture in calcaneus on left foot and tendonitis in right from marathon training... :grumble: ). But... I can spin, elliptical, and swim... anything non impact. So I've been getting in some good pool time lately! I love using the pull buoy and I'm trying not to kick too much w/ my darn feet. I also just ordered an aquajogger so I can start pool running, my Dr. highly recommended it to keep up my running endurance.

Any tips or workouts would be great!

Take care!

Jess

sunnysmile

Hi everyone, and welcome new pals Sweetie and Jessmom .... so glad you have joined the chat,

I love water aerobics. You will love it Sweetie. A little known fact I learned in the class about resistance in water ... you have 6 times the resistance in water than you do in air so water aerobics which focuses on pushing the water and pulling the water really can help shape you up and build strength while being lots of fun.

Aqua jogging, Jess, is amazing for building walking muscles and running muscles. Imagine, before you hurt yourself (and I'm sorry you did) you were running and had no extra resistance in the exercise (although it was challenging, fun, and burned calories like crazy) ... aqua jogging is a wonderful way to not only stay fit but some websites say that professional runners supplement with aqua jogging to increase their abilities. I have some booties I strap on my feet that let me add even more resistance to the water (don't know if that is good for your injuries). There are some great websites that list deep water moves. I bought a VCR tape a while back that shows these moves. It came with a laminated cheat sheet that shows the exercises. There are so many ... you can even do bicycling in the deep water, stomach crunches, cross country skiing, jumping jack moves.

Best suggestion ... if you have a water proof mp3 player, use it when you aqua jog (and swim)... I do and it makes a big difference in fighting boredom.

Let us know how you like the new things you try.

Today, I thought I would go to the pool and use the flippers for the first time in a while, but we got busy with other things and I ended up using this Wii program for walking for about 30 minutes. Doesn't burn as many calories but it is good for me to build some weight bearing exercise so I can go for some walks with my husband or visit the museums in the Spring (almost here, hooray!)

I have to see if I can use the pull buoy sometime. I guess that helps you build upper body strength? I love using the mask and snorkel ... I have a new one (broke the last one) and it's pink ... why not, adds some color to the pool.

And an update to those who listened to me being upset about not losing ... I got on the scale this morning and I am down 1.2 from last week, so I am glad to see movement down. Thanks for your encouraging words!

Sunny

NinaMyers

Hi Folks!!

I'm new to this site.

Just found it last week and am so far really impressed.

I used to swim pretty regularly back in my teens, was a fairly competent swimmer. Recently got the bug again and have started back at my local pool. The enjoyment is still there, but my technique is a little rusty lol

Anyway, I'm trying to make it to the pool 3 times a week. My pool is a 25metre pool, I started out doing 40 lengths, but have increased this to 50 (breast stroke)
I now have an eye on 64 lengths as this will be a mile!!

Really glad to have found this thread, some good sites mentioned in here.


Bit annoyed just now, as i am suffering from the cold, so giving the pool a miss until I feel better, it's driving me mad lol!!

sunnysmile

Hi everyone and welcome Nina.

This is a great site, I am impressed by the people I chat with and the way the site runs. Nina, I am impressed that you can do 40 to 50 lengths with an eye toward 64. That's terrific. My husband swims 100 lengths almost every day but I make it to about 30 lengths in 35 minutes. If I stay in longer my skin reacts, so I am now just beginning to supplement my swimming with some light aerobics.

The swimming, aqua jogging, and water aerobics are my core ... everytime I do it I feel like I improve somewhere. I just wish I had known how wonderful the snorkel/mask idea was years ago, it would have made a big difference in my life.

I did succeed at 30 lengths today. I was thinking about the swayback idea and concentrated on my form. So far, no longer back pain, no change in alignment with hips. Just shoulder soreness. I added in some new stretches for that today ... the ones FireRox suggested, plus with my chin tucked I linked my arms behind me and stretched downward. I was told that whenever you do something with your arms behind you to tuck your chin, that protects your lower back more.

Have a great day and write how you all are doing when you have time.

Sunny