Join Up for Water Walking - a Sweatless Workout

The scene is like a happy club of seniors visiting as they walk in chest high water up and down the Olympic size pool at my healthclub. Instead of going for a walk outdoors those of us with arthritic knees, joint surgeries, or other conditions join up for a walk in the pool.

As with many pools these days the Olympic length pool, 75 meters, is only 4.5 feet deep. Stripes on the bottom show where the lanes are, and during lap swimming times of the day there are floating dividers.

You can let the buoyancy of the water take the weight off of sore knees, hips or backs, and get a workout. My arthritic knees are pain free after an aquatic workout.

My local healthclub also has a 25 ft. by 35 ft. 88 degree pool that's great for loosening up the sore, stiff joints. Then there's the long pool where you can walk with your friends, chat, and catch up on their latest news. Just like a walk in the park, except it's in a pool.

People recovering from a variety of conditions find it helpful and fun. Those who are using walkers often find they can walk in the pool due to the buoyancy although they cannot walk on regular land.

Give it a try if you haven't already! Have fun and I hope it works for you too.

Readers, if you have a story about using water therapy for exercising I would be glad to post it here on the internet as a guest post. You can mail it to me, Kristi, at kgott@charter.net. In the subject line you might put "caregiversbeacon." Thanks!

Best wishes, Kristi