By Dr Meher Zaidi.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v5R0UVM57U&feature=related Whether you suffer from arthritis, accidental injury, obesity, paralysis,Parkinsonism, joint or meniscal injury, your whole life can change if you start pool or water exercises. Experience with water or pool exercise shoes fullyrecovery from total inability to stand straight for a full minute, inability to climb or go downstairs without holding railing, extreme effort in doing so, inability to hold any thing in hands while going up or down stairs, inability to perform Namaz(Muslim prayer ritual) while standing up,walking slowly with a stick in hand in case of fall etc. This takes a period of two months with six days a week of one and a half hour of pool routine daily.
I have seen that the progress in increase of the level of fitness is very fast and each day brings it up much more quickly than simple gym exercises. Also in warm climates the cool effect of water makes it more desirable.
Climbing stairs without any help to hold the railing, frequently carrying loads up and down, saying prayers with all three complicated positions easily and above all standing straight for quite some time and carry loads from grocery shops becomes easier. Walking speed increases considerably . Clothes become looser quite a bit and a person feels at least twenty years younger. Namaz ritual is performed in the same strength and quickness as when a person is twenty years old. A combination of water exercises with yoga and kick board exercises is routinely recommended. Bieng a doctor and highly trained in physical rehabilitation and personal experience in exercise and physical coping, I have devised various exercises to benefit individual patients.I have seen that the springiness in the muscles and the ability of the muscles to change contraction increases considerably in water exercise as compared to those carried out in the air that is, the gym.This can be scientifically explained from the fact that the medium and short fibres are recruited and developed much more in water exercise than those done in air due to the nature of water interaction, buoyancy, speed of contraction while changing postures and a faster Tai-Chi like effect. The muscles become springier, bouncier as they are more supple and not hard. The bulk is more comely, especially for women. This is true for both legs, arms and thighs. Individual calf muscle exercise also increase the shape of calves without causing impact injury.
Two types of exercises can be done.Those in pool directly and those using suspension equipment to reduce the effect of impact injury on legs. These can be done with the help of instructors and also by closely following the trainers whos you tube videos are widely available. I have found them very helpful and effective. As one masters the exercise and the fitness level for the particular group of muscles increases , the challenge should be increased. In this way, the recruitment of more active fibres is increased.
For obese patients these are best workouts. With daily increase in fitness, the shape of the body comes back quite early and these are low impact exercises. They are more easy to do and also effective against stress and motivating.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xpGR4qCpD0&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=SP2B27821CC0FE823D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTKJcXKrNkk&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbOhUXAghTA&feature=fvwrel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS6rowfwEyo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur5IBkUQoRc&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=SP6977CED389328916
According to your weight, age and needs you need to make an exercise plan with your instructor and then scedule time and stick to it It is addicting rest assured. You will start seeing results within one week of regular exercises. as time elapse the benefits are more prominent and there is no stopping then. so get floating. Viola.
