WPHT 2009:WPHT 2007 3/6/09 15:37 Page 16
WATER WELLNESS
Swimming in my own pool has made my MS “bearable”
Turn back the years
“As a person with multiple sclerosis, I’m believer in aquatic exercise.
in water lucky to have a place to swim at home – “In the winter months when it’s too
Exercising in water can slow down the
and luckier to have a pool designed for lap cold for me to get in the water
ageing progress.
swimming,” says 57 year old Anne. comfortably, I turn to a local, heated
It’s true as research in the United
We live in Sussex so the pool was public pool and now swim all year round.
States says the evidence is conclusive.
originally built for our kids long before I Swimming makes my MS bearable and I
was diagnosed with MS. Happily, before would recommend it to anyone else.
“When you look at all the
we developed the design, a friend “For people who are combating serious
standard physiological markers
recommended making the pool at least 40 illnesses and other physical conditions, the
associated with the aging process, we
feet long to allow for lap swimming: She’d importance of having places to swim
see that every one of them is slowed
been using swimming to recover from simply cannot be overstated. We need
dramatically in people who swim
regularly,”says Dr Joel M. Stager, a
injuries in a car accident and was a strong more pools!”
researcher at the University of
Indiana. “Of course those differences Swimming for slimming
vary based on a number of factors,
Swimming burns three calories a mile per
but the science is conclusive.
pound of bodyweight. For instance if you weigh
“Exercising in water slows down the
150 lbs and it takes you roughly about 30
aging process, and often quite
minutes to swim one mile, then you can expect
dramatically – by upwards of 20% in
to lose 900 calories in one hour. Swimming for
some cases. You almost cannot
fitness is gaining a lot of popularity, as it can be
overstate the benefits of exercising
a perfect activity for nearly anyone.
in water.
Research indicates that pregnant women
“Not only does swimming slow
benefit the most from swimming. It makes their
down the aging process in terms of
abdominal muscles strong, essential when
respiration, muscle mass, bone density,
carrying a baby. In addition, it strengthens the
cardiovascular activity and neurological
function,” he says,” but there’s also
back and the muscles that help post-
evidence to suggest that it increases
mastectomy women carry their weight more
mental health and even spiritual and
easily. According to experts, exercising in water
social health. Fact is, swimmers lead
can considerably reduce joint stiffness, high
happier, healthier lives than those who
blood pressure, and discomfort, which is often
don’t get in the water.”
associated with pregnancy.
Hydrotherapy to aid ills
More people than ever before are turning of the water allows your muscles to relax
to hydrotherapy to aid arthritis problems. and eases the pain in your joints. This
Hydrotherapy differs from swimming as makes it easier to exercise. Usually people
it involves special exercises in a warm- who have arthritis in several joints find
water pool. The water temperature is most benefit from hydrotherapy. This is
usually 33–37ºC, warmer than normal because all the joints can be exercised
swimming pools. You can buy a easily in the warm supportive water.
hydrotherapy bath and many hot tubs Hydrotherapy also helps people who
have greater emphasis on air jets for a feel pain when walking, since the water
relaxing massage. The warm temperature provides extra support.
Floatation
Floating, floatation, float therapy...whatever you choose to call it, is the most incredible means of stress relief and relaxation. A
tank which contains 10 inches of super-saturated salt solution, creates an environment similar to the Dead Sea which enables
the individual to float effortlessly on the surface. The water is heated to skin temperature (93.5 degrees) so that once settled, it
is virtually impossible to distinguish between parts of the body that are in contact with the water, and those that aren't, in
effect ‘fooling’ the brain into believing you are floating in mid-air.
With ear plugs in and, if you wish, the tank's interior lights off, the quietness and the darkness allow the mind to drift into
the deepest state of relaxation possible. The buoyancy created by the dense Epsom-salt solution effectively removes the effects
of gravity on the body, and brings the individual close to a total weightlessness.
While the state of relaxation may be deep and profound, the individual's brain stays dreamily alert. To get technical, the
brain gradually shifts from its usual ‘alpha’ state to generate theta waves, the state-of-mind that Buddhist monks try to reach
through hours of meditation and years of training. You can achieve this in a matter of minutes just by lying down!
Best of all, the effects of floatation are cumulative - the more regularly you float, the better it gets.
16 WHAT POOL & HOT TUB WWW.WHATPOOLANDHOTTUBMAG.CO.UK
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