Living Well Eighty-four-year-old Marilyn Specht didn't mind falling down every week...
As she told the Dayton Daily News last year, "If you fall down, you're in the water."
Thanks to two to three hours of water-exercise classes at her local YMCA every weekday, Marilyn stopped worrying about falling and breaking a bone. Regular water exercising helped her lose weight, improve vital signs like lower blood pressure, and give her a better range of motion from strengthening various muscles in her core, legs, and arms.
Marilyn is one of millions of Americans doing what she can to combat common signs of aging...
According to a recent poll of 2,000 American adults on fears of aging, 63% of folks worry about declining health. Mobility issues like arthritis, joint problems, and muscle weakness rank No. 1 on the list of age-related health concerns.
Physical activity is crucial for whole-body health and quality of life. And not being able to move and/or having pain while moving can keep you sidelined. Seniors who lose mobility have higher rates of disease, hospitalization, and death compared with the still-ambulatory folks.
But there's one way to be physically active even if you suffer from mobility issues... exercising in the water.
Water naturally supports your weight. So it's gentle on your joints, bones, and muscles, letting even folks weighed down by, say, osteoarthritis, move their bodies without worry.
Water naturally adds resistance to any movements you make. So it gets your heart pumping, strengthens your muscular strength and endurance, and even improves lung function in people with asthma.
Water workouts also relieve pain and swelling...
A 2023 review of existing studies on aquatic therapy's effectiveness for fibromyalgia, a disorder with chronic pain and fatigue, found that the exercise improved pain as well as sleep quality.
The gentle all-over pressure from exercising in the water will be your new favorite massage therapist. Exercising in water improves swelling in joints and in limbs from fluid buildup in the tissues, or edema. It also can help relieve lymphedema, a similar condition with lymph-fluid buildup due to logjams in your lymphatic system. (Read more about your body's waste-processing system here.)
A small 2021 study of 50 postmastectomy breast-cancer survivors with lymphedema found that the women who exercised in water (three hour-long aquatic therapy sessions per week) saw significantly improved swelling, less pain, and could move their arms and shoulders better than the women who exercised on land.
Keep in mind, though, that the weight-supportive water won't help increase bone density. A bit of physical stress on your bones triggers bone remodeling and slows bone loss.
So if you fall in love with getting your cardio in the surf rather than on the turf, slip in some strength training in the gym after hopping out of the pool. That way, you'll have the muscle and improved balance that's crucial for fall prevention... paired with stronger bones as insurance against fractures.
No need to buy weights if you don't have access to them – using your own body weight works, too, like in this video. Don't skimp on foods rich in vitamin D and calcium (as well as plenty of sunshine outside to ramp up that vitamin D production).
The main trouble with adding swimming to your workout routine is finding where to go...
Check out your local gym, YMCA, or community center with a pool. Some of these places will have classes specifically for seniors. You'll likely have to pay membership fees, but ask for a senior discount. Think of it as an investment toward your health. Your local department of recreation and parks might also offer water-fitness programs.
You might even find "ai chi" classes... The name is a play on tai chi (the "a" stands for "aquatic" or "aqua") done in water. Longtime readers know I love the slow, focused moves of this exercise that strengthens your muscles and leaves you relaxed.
Once you've found your watering hole, join a class. Or if you're flying solo, turn to YouTube and check out some of the workouts featured in the many water-aerobics videos on the site. Here are a few simple moves for once you're in the pool...
- Channel your inner Radio City Rockette. Hold the edge of the pool with one hand for support as you do some high kicks. Mix it up with some marching in place. Or if you have wanderlust, go for a walk (or jog) across a relatively shallow area where your feet touch the ground.
- Channel your inner Michael Phelps. Hold on to the edge of the pool (or a foam board, or kickboard) for support and just kick away to your heart's content. These flutter kicks work out your legs and lower abdominal muscles.
- Channel your inner bodybuilder and pump some... foam. Build your biceps with some arm curls using some aquatic or water dumbbells. These colorful, cartoonishly large dumbbells weigh almost nothing because they're made of foam. Amazon or Walmart has them for under $10. Or cut up an old pool noodle from the grandkids.
You can also strengthen your upper body by just holding onto the edge of the pool, arms spread wide apart. Then start pushing away from and back to the wall, as if you're doing push-ups while standing.
Oh, and whether you're traveling for business or pleasure, do what I do... Pack your swim trunks or swimsuit.
Swimming is a fun change from hitting the bike, treadmill, or elliptical at the hotel gym. As a bonus, the warmth will dilate your blood vessels if the pool happens to be heated. Improved blood flow promotes faster healing of any injuries and soothes muscle aches and pains.
Whether it's relaxing ai chi... heart-pumping water aerobics... or simply reliving your childhood by happily doggy-paddling around, try taking your workout to the water this summer.
As you're working on your health this summer, don't forget your sleep. Retirement Millionaire subscribers should check out yesterday's issue on how to prep your sleep hygiene for summer. For non-subscribers, get the details on a trial run right here.)
What We're Reading...
- Something different: A new passion in her life that bloomed from a cancer diagnosis.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
April 11, 2024