Ease Back into Exercise after Christmas Using Your Swimming Pool

If those extra mince pies, or that third helping of Christmas dinner, have left you feeling like you could do with some more exercise, swimming pools are a great way of incorporating fun workouts into your daily routine.

Aquatic exercise is much easier on your knees and joints than running or jogging and, as such, aquatic fitness is becoming increasingly popular.

With a variety of water-based cycling, aerobic and zumba workouts available, it can begin to seem a little overwhelming choosing the right one for you – the following activities can all be done from the comfort of your own pool.

Aerobic exercise can be used to design your own workout, and target particular muscle groups you’d like to exercise. Some key movements include:

Jog in place: make sure to keep your knees high.

Bicycle: lean back against the side of pool, and ‘pedal’ legs at the surface.

Ab crunches: from the previous position, extend legs, then pull both knees into chest and repeat.

Outer-leg lift: stand with the left side of your body near the wall, feet together, holding onto the edge. Lift right leg out to the side, and then repeat on the other side.

Water weights are a great way to tone up your body after watching lots of Christmas television, and can be incorporated into some simple exercises:

Bicep curls: simply hold your weights palm side up and contract your biceps to pull the weights up to your shoulders, then slowly lower back down.

Chest flies: stand with the weights in front of you.

Shoulder rows: put your arms out face down in front of your body, then pull your arms back to your chest using your arms and shoulders.

Punches: hold your weights up to your chest and alternate punching them out into the water.

For a more bespoke experience, and to help maximise the use of your pool, the following ideas are a great investment for enhancing your swimming pool workouts:

Swimming machines create a current in the water to enable the swimmer to swim against. They’re great for smaller pools, as you get all the health benefits of swimming longer distances, whilst maintaining your position in the water.

At H2o Swimming Pools, we install counter-current units which are ideal for exercise, particularly within a small pool where swimming space is more limited. These units adjust the water and air flow within the pool, creating strong jets to swim against to help improve fitness levels.

Floating mats can be used to do yoga, pilates or other exercises on top of the water. They’re a great way to utilise your core strength and improve your balance.

Aqua Cycling – investing in a submersible cycling machine could save you money in the long run when it comes to paying for classes or a gym membership. They work just like a regular bike, except you get added resistance (therefore, burning more calories) than if you were to do it on dry land.

Having developed 30 years of experience in the design, construction and maintenance of swimming pools, H2o have become a leading company in the South East of England. Whatever the style, shape or size you are looking for, our expert team can help make your dream become a reality.

We can facilitate your entire project from beginning to end, ensuring it fits your property and lifestyle seamlessly. To find out more or to book an appointment with us, simply get in touch today.