Steve Weiss
According to the American Council on Exercise, activities in water will give a person one of the best non-impact fitness exercises around, and just about everybody can participate. Water exercise is not only great for those wanting to increase their endurance or reduce their weight but also for those with arthritis and those recovering from an injury. At SaddleBrooke Ranch these water exercises can be done every day rain, shine or snow (at least once a year to remind us of why we moved to Tucson) in one of the greatest Robson amenities—the indoor pool.
There is a grea.ariety of options available to take advantage of the indoor pool. Obviously you can exercise in the pool alone by swimming. Some also walk in the water simulating a slow run. Exercising alone will cost nothing, but you will not know if you are working the muscles that are best for you.
Another option is getting together informally with a group of other residents. Just such a group exists. Rich Ferris is the spokesperson for that group, which meets Wednesday and Saturday mornings beginning at 7:30 a.m. and lasts for about one hour. The advantages of attending this group are that there is no charge and that Rich, with the help of his wife who was an aqua fitness instructor, has some exercises that are good for him and his buddies. After warming up his group does 30 minutes of walking in the pool followed by 10 minutes of underwater foam tube resistance, 10 minutes of overwater movements with three pound weights and 10 minutes of stretching. If interested you can contact Rich at [email protected].
There are also three exercise classes, which are led by trained instructors. These include Aquatic Exercise, Aqua Zumba and Water Aerobics. Although there is a nominal charge for these classes you will get a well-planned program. In all three classes the use of pool shoes is suggested.
Aquatic Exercise is offered on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday at 9:00 a.m. with Beverly Hinton as the instructor. Beverly has over 16 years of experience and is certified by the Aquatic Exercise Association. Her program lasts for 60 minutes and consists of 30 minutes of aerobic movements followed by 30 minutes of movements with foam bar bells, which will work the core muscles. This is done with easy music playing in the background, but the exercises are not performed to the beat of the music. For more information you can contact Beverly at [email protected].
Aqua Zumba is offered on Monday and Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. with Debbie McCauley as the instructor. Debbie has taught fitness in one form or another for over 25 years. She is licensed to teach Zumba and Aqua Zumba and is a certified aerobics fitness instructor. No other items need to be purchased for this class since the shortened noodles are provided at the class. Aqua Zumba movements are done to the beat of lively Latin music. The music, which is changed monthly, adds to the fun and makes one forget that they are exercising. Her program is similar to Zumba but with shorter movements and lasts about 45 minutes. Thirty minutes are dedicated to aerobic movements and 15 minutes are dedicated to exercising the upper body with the shortened noodles. For more information contact Debbie at [email protected].
Water Aerobics is offered Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 9:00 a.m. with Cathy Lair as the instructor. Cathy is an American Sports Fitness Association certified instructor. Cathy’s class lasts for about one hour and consists of 20 minutes with water gloves, 20 minutes with weights and 20 minutes with half noodles. For more information contact Cathy at [email protected].
Kathy Healey takes all three instructor-led classes and offers an objective look at all three classes. Originally Kathy had been taking regular Jazzercise. However, after having problems with her knee her doctor suggested that she exercise in water. Because Kathy wanted water exercises as many days of the week as possible she decided to attend all three classes. Kathy said she gets .ery good workout in all three classes. The basic differences relate to music and the speed of the movement. The Water Aerobics class has no music while the Aquatic Exercise class has music playing in the background and the Aqua Zumba class has exercises that are synchronized to the music. The movements in Aqua Zumba seem to be faster than those of Water Aerobics and Aquatic Exercise.
SaddleBrooke Ranch is lucky to have an indoor pool. Whether you want to get into condition, want help with a special physical limitation or want to just have a good time with friendly people, you should consider using the indoor pool.