oldmanblurtsout™

My dear friends from across the street invited me to the pool today. It was wonderful! Two years ago, when I still had insurance, my doctor prescribed aquatic therapy after I was released from a two week stay at the hospital. I was having difficulty walking largely due to my weight, my arthritis and congestive heart problems. However, once my insurance ran out, I was not able to afford to keep going to therapy. I have not had access to a pool until today. It was terrific! I am like a fish out of water, I love to swim! Aren’t friends great?

Aquatic therapy is an excellent solution for morbidly obese people like me. The buoyancy made available by the water allows less stress on the joints and makes it less painful for me to exercise. It is like I am floating on a cloud. It was a hot day today, 95°F and that water felt so cool. It was as if all my dreams came true. After that long walk from the car to the pool in the heat (more exercise), getting in that pool of cool water was heaven on earth. I was able to do all of the exercises that I had learned. It felt good to get out there and move those muscles without the weight bearing down on me. I am so excited that my friends are going to have me over to go swimming a lot this summer.

For those of you who are struggling and trying to achieve your goal of weight loss I would recommend aquatic therapy. Of course, before you start any exercise program you should check with your doctor first and start out slow. I have listed some of the exercises that I do in the water to get you started. If you are able to do more, that is great. For example, I love to swim all the different strokes, but my weight makes it difficult for me to do that. Also, I primarily work on my lower body but I do use my arms to push against the water for resistance. These exercises have helped me a great deal in the past and are primarily for the lower body. I am sure they will be even more beneficial to me since I am feeling much better than I was two years ago. God Bless You. May you have continued success in your lifestyle change to better health.

1.     I start in the shallow end by stretching my legs on the steps by putting one foot on the step and the other extended behind me and then switching. Rocking my body forward to extend the muscles.

2.    Next, I stand on my tippy toes and then down; I do about 15 repetitions.

3.    Then, I start walking my forward laps; walking forward from one end to the other then back. It is hard to tell you how far to go but in an Olympic pool one lap down and back may be a good place to start for a beginner.

4.    Next, I walk sideways down and back. Again, you will have to gauge your own body to determine how many laps to do.

5.    I walk backward laps next.

6.    Following my laps I stand at the edge of the pool where I can hold onto the wall for support. I start by kicking each foot behind me 15 times. (First right, then left – you know you have to stand on one of the legs or you’ll start to float and on your first double kick you will be face down in the water sucking chlorine - ha-ha)

7.    Next, I kick each foot in front of me 15 times keeping my leg straight.

8.    Followed by, raising each leg to the side 15 times.

9.    Then, raise each leg in front bending your knee up toward your chest 15 times.

10.  After this I go to the deeper water where I can float and start my aerobics. I use my arms to keep me afloat but you could use many floatation devices on the market today to keep your head above water. I start by moving my legs like I am running in place bending my knees for three minutes. (Build up to longer times as you develop strength, if three minutes is too long cut it back)

11.  Then I float and do scissor kicks without bending knees kicking them one leg forward, one leg backward, back and forth again for three minutes.

12.  Finally, I cool down by leisurely walking around the pool.

You have to gauge for yourself what you are able to do and work from there adding more repetitions as time passes. There are many exercises that you can do in the pool to get that body moving. You can use floatation devices to add more resistance to your workout. As I stated above, I love to swim. One day I will be able to do the back stroke, butterfly stroke, freestyle, etc. like I once did. I will achieve my goals and I am confident that you can achieve your goals as well. Just make up your mind to make that lifestyle change and let’s go swimming! God Bless

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