Healthy Swim: NJ Pools Help Homeowners Get Fit in Their Own Backyard
November 3rd, 2014 | By: Mitchell Knapp | Outdoor Living
Though building a swimming pool in your New Jersey home can be an expensive improvement project, you can get a return on your investment in more than a monetary sense. Backyard pools in NJ are the perfect place for you and other members of your household to get fit. Mary Tolley Rhodes trumpets its virtues as a workout venue in an article for Live Strong:
The buoyancy of water reduces the effects of gravity on the body, particularly on joints. Exercising in waist-deep water essentially decreases your body weight by 50 percent, while exercise in chest-deep water eliminates 90 percent of your body weight, decreasing the impact on your joints. This makes pool exercise ideal for individuals suffering from an injury or arthritic conditions. At the same time, water has a natural resistance compared to air, resulting in a greater strengthening component compared to performing the same exercises on land.
The natural properties of water are just the beginning. Swimming itself is a perfect whole-body fitness routine; your arms and legs are exercised by propelling you through the water, and your cardiovascular system works overtime to fuel your muscles while providing you with oxygen to breathe. This effort alone burns a whole lot of calories. It’s been estimated that a person weighing 205 pounds can burn around 931 calories when swimming vigorously for an hour. Imagine doing that daily, combined with a balanced diet, and you’ll be able to reach your ideal weight and lean body in no time.
However, swimming isn’t the only fitness routine you can do in your pool. For those who aren’t ready for the physical rigors of swimming, water walking or jogging can be a more comfortable alternative. All it requires is that you get a flotation device like a vest or a pool noodle. Afterwards, you just walk back and forth around your pool while standing straight. The water provides resistance and this strengthens your muscles. For a more intensive workout, you may move to deeper waters or try to jog faster in the water.
Another alternative to swimming is water aerobics. Like aerobics on land, it combines several high-intensity cardio exercises into a single workout that can burn calories even faster than normal. All you need is to do them in chest-high water so that the water adds to the resistance. Weights and resistance bands add to the difficulty. These workouts can get you fit and trim in no time. If water workouts and cool dips on a hot summer day sound good to you, then call the pros from an experienced NJ pool company like Tranquility Pools, Inc. and have the pool you’ve been saving up for constructed. We’ll take care of everything else – even the mini excavator to dig your property to fit your perfect pool!
(Source: Swimming Pool Exercises and Workouts for Home Use, Live Strong, February 2, 2014)
