To schedule a lesson or for more information, please: Email Me

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Fit4Ever | Aqua Awesome

What is the best temperature for Aqua Fitness? The answer depends on a number of considerations.  But for most people, the ideal water temperature for Aqua is between 83 F (28.3 C) and 88 F (31.1 C).

In deciding how warm to heat the pool think about:

Will you get in? If you are the type who shudders at the thought of a cold pool, then it’s better to heat the pool on the warm side because if it is cooler, you may blow off doing your exercise. So heat the pool warmer when you first start out doing Aqua. Then once you get in the habit, turn it down a bit.

Can you afford the heating bill? Depending on the weather where you live and how big your pool is, the cost of heating a pool may vary. If you can’t afford the heating bill in winter months, consider investing in some lightweight wetsuits instead. Also look into pool covers and solar heating.

 

Will you be working out vigorously, or gently? If you will be doing a regular workout, start with fast jogging to warm up. Usually the initial cold will wear off in just a few minutes. Do not heat the pool too warm if you will be doing a vigorous workout because you may overheat and be uncomfortable once you get started. If you plan to do gentle workouts, however, such as Aqua Pilates or Aqua Yoga, you may want the pool warmer.

How old are you? Older people and children prefer a warmer pool. In fact, seniors are advised not to work out in pools that are too cold.

How many people are working out in the pool? In a mixed group, there may be people who prefer it cooler and those who prefer it warmer. The best course is to adjust the temperature so that it safe for the oldest members without being uncomfortably warm for others.

When I give private Aqua lessons, I request that client try to heat their pool to somewhere between 83 and 88 degrees if possible.  That way the lesson is enjoyable, safe, and productive.

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Photo: Camilla Cordeiro, Unsplash

Did you know there’s a special swimsuit detergent that neutralizes the harmful effects of chlorine? What the heck is chlorine anyway, and why do we put it in pools?

Benefits of Chlorine

Chlorine is the chemical element with the symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The reason we put it in pools is that Chlorine kills bacteria. In pools, chlorine acts as a sanitizer, an algaecide and an oxidizer of contaminants. It kills microorganisms that can cause health-related problems, such as gastroenteritis, Legionnaires disease, ear infections and athlete’s foot among others.

Harmful Effects of Chlorine on Swimsuits

The disinfecting properties of chlorine, however, come at a price: Chlorine dries out hair and skin and causes swimsuits to rapidly deteriorate. This is why you should always rinse off your body, your hair, and your suit after you go in the pool. If you take an aqua class and use the pool frequently, you may have several suits and you may be tempted to just hang one up to dry straight from the pool without rinsing it. This practice soon results in fabric that fades and elastic that breaks down.

How to Protect Swimsuits from Chlorine

There are steps you can take to make your swimsuit last longer. First, pick a suit that has high spandex content, as spandex tends to hold up best to Chlorine. Some brands of suits even say in the label that they are specially treated to resist chlorine damage. They cost more, but last longer. Next, always rinse out or wash your suit as soon as you can after getting out of the pool. Then wash it in the laundry. Always let it dry by hanging it up—don’t put it in the dryer. If you add a few tablespoons of vinegar to your wash, it will neutralize any chlorine still in the fabric. You can even buy special swimsuit detergent  made to counter pool chlorine. A small bottle of laundry detergent for swimsuits lasts a long time. One easy way to make sure your swimsuit is protected from the harmful effects of chlorine is to carry a small spray bottle with the solution in it to the pool. You can then spray it on to neutralize the chlorine immediately. You can also spray the solution on your swim goggles or swim cap if you use those.

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Fit4Ever | Aqua Awesome

Is aqua fitness weight-bearing?

Does water aerobics build muscles strength?

Does aqua build bone density?

Do I need to combine aqua fitness with land exercises?

People ask these questions about aqua aerobics because the buoyancy of water counteracts the effects of gravity. That is why aqua is low-impact, even when you work hard and get a great workout.

How Gravity Affects Workouts

On land, gravity pulls us down: we have to work to hold our bodies upright. In water, gravity does not have as much pull. The support of water makes it easier for many people to work out. They can run, jump, kick, and push the water around without stressing joints the way they would on land. Exercising in water gives you all the benefits of a great cardio workout and you do build muscle strength. However, because aqua is low impact, you may not be build up bone density the same as if you did exercises on land.

Bone is a living tissue that gets stronger when it is used to bear weight. Studies show that weight-bearing exercise stimulates bone formation and helps us retain calcium in our bones. Weight-bearing can mean literally lifting weights, but it also can mean exercise where we “bear the weight” of our own body, such as walking, hiking, jogging, dancing, tennis, climbing stairs. 

Swimming is not considered a weight-bearing exercise. Is aqua fitness weight-bearing? It depends. When we exercise in the deep end using floats to keep up our bodies, we are not putting any weight on our bones. When we are in the shallow end jogging or jumping, however, we are putting some weight on our bones.

In short, working out in the water does not give us the full benefit of building up bone density. That is why it is a good idea to combine aqua fitness with some form of weight-bearing land exercise, two to three times a week. This could be a vigorous exercise, such as tennis or jogging, or it could be a less strenuous one, such as walking and lifting small weights.

Making Aqua Fitness Weight Bearing to Help Bones

How can you get the best aqua workout for bone strength? There are ways to increase the amount of work done by your bones in aqua fitness. For example, it’s recommended to have at least part of your aqua routine include some work in shallow water so that you do put some weight on your leg bones. (Aqua shoes can help support you and protect joints even more than the water.)

You can also incorporate aqua dumbbells in your workout. Aqua dumbbells or water weights are made of foam that floats. When you push and pull them under the water it causes resistance, which is similar to lifting heavy weights on land. You can also use foam noodles, kick boards, paddles, elastic bands, aqua gloves, and other aqua equipment to achieve the same resistance. You can also do “wall work,” where your body is in the pool, but you push yourself out to do push ups or dips on the side.

Tips for Aqua Workouts and Bone Health

Here’s some tips for using aqua dumbbells and other aqua gear:

• The bigger the dumbbell, the more resistance.
• The deeper you push water weights under water, the more resistance.
• Move aqua dumbbells slowly for a full range of motion but do not force a move and or put too much pressure on your joints
• Start with smaller weights and work up
• Focus on maintaining spinal alignment throughout the exercise
• Keep a loose grip on the handles and keep elbows bent slightly

As with any workout, check with your doctor or therapist if you have issues and start slowly then work your way up as you become stronger and more confident.

Start with Aqua Fitness and Add Land-Based Exercise

Many people find that when they start getting into shape after starting aqua, they are better equipped to work out on land. They improve balance, tone muscles, and gain cardiovascular endurance. Training in the water can even help reduce inflammation while helping your tendons and joints regain strength. Thus aqua can be a great way to get started in a fitness program that can then gradually include more land-based exercise as well. Make part of your water routine include weight-bearing aqua fitness with dumbells, shallow water work, and wall work, and then add in land activities. If you feel you are not ready for too much exercise on land, then you might consider taking a bone supplement. 

If you do aqua in an outdoor pool, remember to always wear a water-resistant sunscreen.

Check out my reviews of best free aqua fitness videos for tips on weight-bearing aqua routines in the shallow end.

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Healthy Cooking Cookbook Choices on Amazon

Healthy Cookbook for Two

Healthy Cookbook for Two is highly reviewed and a best seller on Amazon. It helps you with all aspects of choosing, shopping for, cooking, and serving great meals that are healthy and taste good. The book gives recipes for two so you do not have to cook for an army. If you want a treasure trove of recipes that are easy, economical, and delicious, check  out this healthy cooking cookbook. The cookbook comes in paperback and in Kindle.

Complete Mediterranean Cookbook

The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook provides 600 recipes, but more than the recipes, this cookbook gives useful tips and explanations on why the authors chose a certain ingredient. The advice allows you to learn so that you can improvise later. Reviewers rave about this book.  It is a best seller on Amazon. More and more, health experts recommend the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes plant-based foods, using healthy oil instead of butter, and flavoring with herbs and spices. Mediterranean cooking has shown to be heart healthy. Plus it is delicious.

The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook

The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook was written by a nutritionist and food blogger who has 15 years of experience. She has developed a system of meal prep that works. Meal prep is increasingly popular. The idea is to spend a couple hours once a week making up your meals in advance. Then you do not have to deal with coming up with ideas, shopping, and cooking at the last minute every day. This book gives you everything you need to know for successful meal prep. It is available in paperback in Kindle versions.

Healthy Cooking Cookbooks Inspire

Amazon has a ton of great healthy cooking cookbooks, these are just a few of my favorites. If you belong to Amazon Prime, you can often get a Kindle version of the book for just a couple bucks or even free! Kindle versions can be read on Kindles, iPads and other tablets, and even phones. Many people love getting recipes on a device, others prefer a printed book. What’s great about either kind of healthy cookbook is getting new ideas so you are not cooking and eating the same things over and over. If you do not have new ideas and feel “stuck” repeating the same recipes, you may end up opting for fast food that is not healthy! Your bad eating may end up sabotaging all your exercise efforts. Commit yourself to an exercise program like aqua fitness, then combine it with a healthy eating program with the help of a good healthy cooking cookbook.

Total Fitness: Balance Cardio, Diet, Strength Training and Relaxation

Aqua Fitness will improve your health both physical and mental, but for total fitness, you need to balance workouts with proper nutrition and rest. Many people exercise to lose weight. Aqua will burn calories! But you will lose weight faster if you combine your workouts with proper eating habits.

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Fit4Ever | Aqua Awesome

Does Aqua Fitness burn calories?

Water and fire don’t mix. But in Aqua Fitness you can use water to burn up calories. Here’s tips on losing weight with Aqua Fitness.

A calorie is not extra fat hanging on your stomach. A calories is a unit of measurement. A calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through 1 °C (now usually defined as 4.1868 joules).

Put in simpler terms, a calorie measures energy expended. The more you exercise, the more you expend energy and burn calories. We store energy in body fat, so expending energy through exercise can help “burn off” fat.

In water aerobics, we jump around and move arms, legs, and the whole body. And we do it against the resistance of water. This uses up energy and burns calories!

Can you lose weight in water aerobics?

The answer is yes! Losing weight with Aqua Fitness is just like losing weight with any other exercise. The amount of calories burned in Aqua will vary depending on how much you weigh now and how much you move. If you work out at a high intensity, vigorously pushing the water around as you move without stopping, you will burn as many calories as you would working out on land jogging or doing aerobics! If however, you move gently and slowly and take breaks to just float and relax, then you won’t burn as many calories. You may still benefit from the stretching and meditative benefits of being in the water, but you will not be fighting fat.

The good news that is that most aquatic fitness classes consist of routines that combine high intensity with medium and low intensity moves. So you will be burning calories for much of your time in the water. You will be doing calisthenic -type moves and cardio moves while making use of water resistance to increase the workout. But because you are in water, it will not seem as tough as a similar workout on land. You may not notice that you are sweating and getting your heart rate up, but in fact you are getting a tremendous workout that burns calories. You will be energized and it will be easier to keep going.

How many calories does 30 minutes of Aqua burn?

It all depends on how much you weigh and how hard you work, but you can burn from 150 to 380 calories in 30 minutes of aqua aerobics. If you are looking for an exercise to help lose weight and keep fit, try Aqua. Start out slow and work your way up. Give it at least a month of going at least two or three times a week. If you truly give it a chance, you will find Aqua is a great way to work out and burn calories without feeling overwhelmed. Just remember, if you want to burn calories, you have to push yourself to move; just relaxing in the pool won’t work. Sometimes I see people at my gym who come to the pool and float around with a noodle for two hours while they chat. There is nothing wrong with that! It’s a great way to socialize. But it does not count as a workout. If you want to lose weight doing Aqua, then you need to take part in actual water aerobic routines! On the other hand, I have taught Aqua to people who are trying to lose weight, and I have seen that Aqua Fitness is a great way for them to get motivated on a fitness journey. It is easier to get started working out in a pool if you are not used to working out.

What is the best way to burn fat with Aqua Fitness?

Recent research shows that in any fitness program—on land or in water—high intensity interval training is the way to go. That means working out at a high intensity for a short period, then following with a low intensity workout. Then repeat. You will find several High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT Aqua workout routines on my Youtube Aqua Workout Recommendations. Another tip for the best way to lose weight in Aqua is to wear water shoes. You do not have to wear special shoes to do Aqua. But many people find that it improves their workout. Read my post about aqua fitness shoes to learn more. 

What is the best way to learn Aqua Fitness?

You can learn Aqua on your own by watching Youtube videos. Check out my reviews of some of the best Aqua Fitness videos on Youtube.  But the best way to learn is from taking a class or a private lesson. You can find classes at many gyms or the YMCA. You can find private Aqua instructors by looking online or asking at a gym. Senior centers with a pool sometimes teach Aqua as well.  If you live in the Claremont, CA, area and want to start out by taking a private lesson in the privacy of your own pool, I offer private Aqua Fitness lessons and small group Aqua Fitness lessons.

Check out my Aqua Fitness Pinterest Board where I post cute swimsuits, aqua fitness tips, and fitness inspiration memes.

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Fit4Ever | Aqua Awesome

Ever wonder how to put crystals on hat?  Hats provide shade and protect your face from harmful rays of the sun. If you are a regular in an aqua fitness class, hats can also be a great way to show off your personality. Bling hats are fun because they sparkle in the sun and put everyone in a good mood! Have you ever wondered how to put bling on a hat?  The best way is to use something called hotfix crystals. In this post, I will show you how to apply hotfix crystals on a hat using a heat wand to create a one-of-a-kind hat.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a hat that says AQUA to wear at your aqua class? Something that specialized is hard to find in a store. But with a special tool called a hot-fix wand and some hot fix crystals (all which you can buy for about $20 on Amazon), you can make a bling hat like this yourself. You can also use the device to bling t-shirts, shoes, and just about anything else!

• First step is to pick a hat. Use one you already own, pick up one at a local store, or order a hat on Amazon.
• Next step is to get a hot-fix wand and crystals in the color and size of your choice. You can sometimes find these at a craft store but hotfix wands are also on Amazon.
• Once you have everything, come up with a design and layout the crystals where you want them. This is the fun part. Be sure to leave enough space to spell out your word and that it is centered where you want it.
• Take a photo of your design laid out for reference using your phone.
• If you like, you can use chalk to gently draw guideline or dots where the crystals will go.
• Take a look at your wand and attachments that came with it. You will want to find the attachment head that matches the size of the crystals you are using. If you are using a combination of different sizes, you will need to do one size first, and then the other. Choose the attachment head for the size you will do first. It should be a concave shape that allows you “pick up” the crystal by touching it when the wand is hot.
• Remove all the crystals and plug in your wand. Place the crystals in an area easy to get to so that the glue side is down.
• When the wand is warm, gently touch the tip to the front side of your first crystal. It will pick up. Then you place it and press it. The heat of the wand will penetrate the crystal and melt the glue on the back.
• Continue until you have all the crystals done for that size tip.
• If you have another size to do, then unplug the wand, let it cool, then change the tip and repeat.

Using hotfix crystals can be a bit intimidating the first time, but once you do it, it is easy. I would practice the first time with an item that you do not mind so much if you make a mistake. There are lots of videos on Youtube that show to apply hotfix crystals to a hat or other item and your wand will come with instructions.  Once you put bling on your own hat, you will probably get requests from friends!

Hotfix crystals when applied properly usually stay on pretty well.  I would not recommend putting your hat in the washer and dryer though. Enjoy your custom bling hat!

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