Water exercise to relieve arthritis pain

Health > CGI Healthy Life | By CGI Holistic Wellness Center

The question is what kind of exercise is the most beneficial and relatively easy to do for those suffering from this health problem.

It is very hard for someone with arthritis to regularly exercise but he or she needs to exercise more than others who do not have arthritis. Without exercise, it is difficult to keep your body in shape; the extra weight will keep placing additional pressure on your joints causing the arthritis symptom to become worse than it already is. It is not even a question whether one with arthritis should exercise or not. The question is what kind of exercise is the most beneficial and relatively easy to do for those suffering from this health problem.

Aquatic Healing Ki-Gong Class

Recently, there have been many articles introducing some exercises for arthritis relief. According to those articles, one of the most favorite exercises is water exercise. Many have reported that water exercise not only helped them lose weight but also relived the symptoms of arthritis. Then why do water exercises help people with arthritis? It is because of the unique properties of water.

1. Water is buoyant. As your body tends to float in water, it significantly reduces the pressure on your knees and joints.
2. Water also creates mild resistance as you move your body in it. This helps your muscles to work hard without having to lift heavy dumbbells and bars that put additional weight on your joints. You can definitely burn lots of calories by moving around in water.
3. Water can help relieve muscle and joint pain spread in your body. For the maximum benefit, you should exercise in a heated pool where the water temperature is between 83 and 88. The warmth of water helps alleviate soreness on your joints and promotes good blood circulation.

Then what are some options for your water exercise?

1. Swimming – if you know how to swim and enjoy swimming, you can make it as your regular cardio exercise. You can burn a ton of calories. Gradually increase the number of laps but make sure you take a break from time to time and eat enough throughout the day so that you don’t crash.
2. Aqua Aerobic – This is fun yet effective way to keep your body in shape. With an instructor and fellow students, you move around the whole time during the class. You will be so engaged in the class that the 1 hour will just fly!  
3. Aquatic Healing – Do you not know how to swim? Are you afraid of water? Do you feel swimming or other exercises are too intense for you? Do not worry- Aquatic healing classes are there for you. These exercises are mild and easy to do. However, the effects are powerful. You can still burn calories, while increasing core strength and stability. These exercises are very effective to reduce joint pain and to promote blood and energy circulation. They also help your stressed muscles and joints to relax and open.

Whichever option you choose, stick to it and make it as your habit. As you progress, you will feel you are much stronger and less vulnerable than you were before. One day, you will say good-bye to your pain killers. 

Do not let your arthritis get in your way of living healthy and enjoyably. Find your bathing suit hiding somewhere in your house and drive to a pool near where you are. Check what kinds of programs are available and start your exercise again.

There are various water exercise programs at CGI. Its pool is the perfect size and the temperature is also an average of 85F which is ideal for people with arthritis to exercise.

For more information about aquatic exercise programs at CGI, please visit the CGI Holistic Fitness and Spa website at www.cgifitness.com