Instead of driving over to the gym, why not use your beautiful Phoenix pool to escape the Arizona heat and experience an effective workout? You already have everything you need to work-out right in your backyard. Always consult your doctor before beginning an exercise routine to make sure you are healthy enough to use it and if it will benefit you the best. Also, never workout in your pool alone and observe other pool safety rules.
Swimming Pool Cardio
Warm Up
Spend 5-10 minutes stretching your major muscle groups out of the water and use this time to slowly and steadily elevate your heart rate.
Strength and Endurance Training
Begin by simply walking back and forth in the water, submerging yourself to your shoulders. After two trips across and back, increase your pace and the reach of your arms. Use your arms to pull yourself through the water. Repeat 5 times.
Next, swim complete laps (across and back) using whichever stroke you want. Feel free to mix up strokes as well.
Repeat the walking and laps up to 6 times. Don’t overexert yourself, but try to keep you heart rate up for 10-20 minutes.
Cool Down
Use the pool to stretch out your muscles, which are most likely sore at this point, and then repeat stretching once you are out of the pool. A moderately paced pool exercise for 30 minutes can burn up to 300 calories. Afterwards, rest and drink an entire 12 ounce bottle of water. Once you have caught your breath and finished you water, fill up on fruit and veggies. Try to keep the carbs and dips to a minimum to avoid post-workout overeating.
Swimming Pool Yoga
An over 5,000 year old discipline, yoga encompasses a variety of energy levels and muscle
groups. No matter what your age or level of physical activity, yoga can be good for you mind
and your body. However, as temperatures soar during the summer, practicing can become more difficult-especially if you enjoy taking your sun salutations outside. Rather than giving in to the heat and giving up for the summer, why not try yoga in your own backyard swimming pool? With the help of water, you will find the workout to be gentler and you will have an easier time moving between poses. You will stay cool in the pool while the warm water (about 85 degrees is ideal) will relax your muscles and support your weight. Here are some suggestions from Women’s Health for poses that transition easily into the pool:
Cobra
You can stretch farther forward without the floor in front of you. Stand with your feet about 2 feet from the pool wall and place your hands and forearms flat against it. Look up and sway your back, stretching your abs. Rise onto your toes and hold for a few breaths.
Stork
The water makes it easier to hold and balance, so you get a deeper stretch. Stand and lift your right leg with your knee bent until your thigh is parallel to the pool bottom, keeping your toes pointed. Press your left heel into the floor. Grab your right big toe with your right hand, then straighten your right leg out in front of you. Push your foot against your fingers to deepen the stretch, holding for a few breaths. Switch legs and repeat.
Triangle
The water makes it easier to hold and balance, so you get a deeper stretch. Stand and lift your right leg with your knee bent until your thigh is parallel to the pool bottom, keeping your toes pointed. Press your left heel into the floor. Grab your right big toe with your right hand, then straighten your right leg out in front of you. Push your foot against your fingers to deepen the stretch, holding for a few breaths. Switch legs and repeat.
Backbend
The buoyancy you have in the water makes getting into the backbend easier, so you can better stretch your abs and chest. Stand with your back to the pool wall, about 2 or 3 feet away from it. Then, arching backward, look up and reach your hands behind your shoulders to grab the wall. Breathe, holding the stretch. Then move your feet back slightly and hold the position for a few breaths. Relax into the stretch.
Shasta Pools is a Phoenix pool builder who provides a variety of services including swimming pool remodeling, commercial pool building, and pool service and repair. Since its establishment in 1967, Shasta has helped over 80,000 families realize their dream of pool ownership. By providing exceptional value, quality craftsmanship and superior customer service, the Shasta team continues to fulfill the corporate mission of astonishing and delighting their customers and exceeding expectations. You can learn more about Shasta Pools & Spas by visiting them online, or by connecting with them on Facebook or Twitter.
