C’mon In, the Water is Fine
Swimming isn’t just fun. It’s an excellent way to improve your overall health, lose weight and recover from many physical conditions. It offers something no other aerobic exercise does: the ability to work your body without making a harsh impact on your bones and joints.
When the human body is submerged in water, it automatically becomes lighter. When immersed to the waist, your body bears just 50 percent of its weight; stand in water up to your chest and that number reduces to 35 percent; with water all the way to your neck, you only have to bear 10 percent of your own weight.
This means that the pool provides an ideal place to work stiff muscles and sore joints, especially if you’re overweight or suffer from arthritis. A heated pool is even better for those with arthritis, as the warm water can help loosen stiff joints. According to the Centers for Disease Control, water-based exercise improves the use of affected joints and decreases pain from osteoarthritis.
Swimming is also a great way to increase muscle strength and tone. That’s because a swimmer is propelling his body through water—a substance about 12 times as dense as air. That makes every kick and every arm stroke a resistance exercise—one of the best ways to build muscle tone and strength. Swimming has also been shown to improve bone strength—especially in post-menopausal women.
Because swimming is an aerobic exercise, it serves to strengthen the heart, not only helping it to become larger, but making it more efficient in pumping, which leads to better blood flow throughout your body. Research also shows that aerobic exercise can combat the body’s inflammatory response as well—a key link in the chain that can lead to heart disease.
If that’s not enough to get you moving in the pool, the American Heart Association reports that just 30 minutes of exercise per day, such as swimming, can reduce coronary heart disease in women up to 40 percent. Additionally, an analysis by the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that regular aerobic exercise could reduce blood pressure.
Pools with a Purpose
NorthBay HealthSpring Fitness Center will include three heated, indoor pools and a hydro-therapy spa.
Lap Pool: The largest of the pools—the four-lane Junior Olympic lap pool—measures 75 feet long by 32 feet wide. Each swim lane is a roomy 8 feet in width. In addition to providing an excellent lap swimming experience, it allows the opportunity to offer masters swim programs and adult and youth swimming lessons. Its depth ranges from 3 feet, 6 inches to 5 feet.
Multi-Purpose Pool: As its name suggests, this pool can be used for water aerobic classes, aquatic strength conditioning and swimming lessons at different times of the day. This pool measures 48 feet long by 40 feet wide and its depth ranges from 3 feet, 6 inches to 4 feet, 6 inches.
Therapy Pool: The aquatic therapy pool will be used as a part of our medically integrated program. Since moving in water puts less stress and impact on the joints and tendons while still providing strength-building resistance, many physical therapists and fitness trainers incorporate this pool into exercise programs. It is excellent for specialty programs such as warm water arthritis exercise. The therapy pool is 28 feet long by 40 feet wide. Its depth ranges from 3 feet, 6 inches to 4 feet, 6 inches.
Hydro-Therapy Spa: This is a Jacuzzi pool that uses heated water and targeted jets of water to help provide relaxation and massage as well as relief from joint or musculature problems. The spa pool is 28 feet long by 23 feet wide, with depths from 3 feet, 6 inches to 4 feet, 6 inches.