For the past six months or so, I have been training one of my clients in the pool once a week, and it has been nothing short of amazing. She lives with fibromyalgia pain, and for anyone who isn't familiar, it is musculoskeletal disorder that causes widespread pain throughout the body. People with fibromyalgia are no strangers to pain, and can even be sensitive to touch. Muscle and joint stiffness are also symptoms, as well as muscle spasms and absolute exhaustion from it all. The good news is that often times exercise can help fibromyalgia pain, increasing your pulse rate and the blood flow to the muscles. The trouble is that if you're not careful, certain movements and activities may make it worse. That's where the pool comes in, or any body of water big enough to splash around in, really. Water exercises use the body's own weight as resistance, and help to support the body and protect it while performing certain movements that a lot people just couldn't get away with on the ground. Moving against the water will offer the same amount of resistance as the body exerts. So, as you push harder, the water will push back just as hard. Water workouts minimize the risk of injury, reducing the likelihood of pulling muscles or damaging tendons and/or ligaments, and, check this out - movement through water even massages soft tissues in the body. Bonus! Being in the water also gives you increased freedom of movement and range of motion that some only dream of. It gives you the ability to increase your body strength and to strengthen your bones and connective tissues, without the risk of harming the body. Have access to a heated pool? Even better! The warm water increases circulation and improves cardio function. Swimming in itself is one of the best exercises for increasing flexibility and improving range of motion.
With all of that said, it's hopefully clear that water workouts are helpful to more than just people with living with fibromyalgia. Exercising in the water is good for seniors, people who are overweight, have arthritis, tendonitis, those who are recovering from injury, and anyone who loves being in the water. The list really does go on.
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