Get Fit While Cooling Off: Pump Up with Aqua Fitness at Life Time
Life Time Group Fitness - June 26, 2012
Summer is the season when we yearn to quench our insatiable thirst for water by hitting the pool. From sun tanning to swimming laps to cooling off with family and friends, the pool at Life Time is hopping when the sun is shinning and the temps are inviting.
Our pools – and water itself – offer more than a fun place to relax or take a dip. Water also provides an atmosphere of safe resistance for aerobic conditioning. That’s why Life Time offers Aqua Fitness classes to compliment your workout regimen, which include Aqua, Aqua Flex, Aqua ZUMBA®, Deep Water, Hydro Training and Water Circuit.
Three of our fantastic aqua instructors discussed the benefits of Aqua Fitness classes at Life Time, why they teach them and why you should add one to your healthy way of life.
Meet Vicki Feldman, Aqua Fitness Instructor at Life Time Fitness Mountain Brook in Georgia, who teaches Aqua and Aqua Circuit. A team member since June 2008, Feldman loves aqua classes because they provide a total body workout.
She said, “In the water, you have the cardio impact without all the joint impact, as well as resistance work for muscle strength. Water provides buoyancy and density, so you can work on balance, flexibility, as well as endurance.”
But some times people are scared to get in the water. Peggy Moland, an instructor at our St. Louis Park destination in Minnesota, said, “Although I have taught swimming for over 40 years, I realized that many adults were missing out on the beauty of water exercise because they weren’t confident with their swimming ability.”
A competitive swimmer for years, Moland decided four years ago to share her passion for the water and its fitness benefits by becoming an aqua instructor. She said that keeping classes fun, safe and happy are essential to getting participants into the water. “It is my goal to provide a welcoming and accepting atmosphere before, during and after class. The sense of family I create in my classes hopefully sends my participants away with a sense of well being.”
So, who is aqua fitness for? Feldman says, “An aqua workout is for everyone.” It’s perfect for individuals looking to cross train or working on endurance with added resistance. Water can also help people recover from injuries by providing a low-impact workout; provide those struggling with weight a cardio workout that has less weight-bearing exercises; and allow pregnant women to continue exercise throughout pregnancy.
Feldman noted, “Most importantly, there are so many modifications that can be done in the water that anyone can participate and no one knows if you are doing the wrong move!”
Trilby Minor teaches three aqua classes at our Sugarloaf location in Georgia and has a group of regulars who affectionately refer to her as “Drill Sergeant.” Minor took her first aqua class 12 years ago when she was living in Pennsylvania. “I was 30 years old, in good shape and just wanted to try it out. I instantly fell in love with aqua. It became a regular part of my workout and I became friends quickly with the regulars in class.”
Three months after taking that first class, Minor’s instructor was so impressed with her enthusiasm for aqua that she asked Minor to teach. After a month of learning the routine and practicing with the class, an aqua fitness instructor was born.
Minor said, “Aqua is great for any age and fitness level. As a strong, healthy, fit person, aqua provided great cross training for me. For someone with more specific health issues, it's a way to stay healthy and take care of your body’s needs and protect it.”
To the aqua fitness skeptics, Feldman said that the fitness benefits of water may “just surprise them,” while Minor stressed, “you can certainly expect to know that you’re doing more than splashing around in the water.”
Take a chance and try Aqua Fitness at your Life Time today. Learn more by logging onto myLT.com and reviewing our Aqua Fitness class descriptions.