(13-01-13) Water Workouts a Great Alternative: Study

If you're tired of your workout routine and want a change of pace, moving your
workout to the water may offer some unique benefits.

While you might think you can't actually get as intense a workout in the
water, new research found that's not true at all, and in some ways a water
workout may be better than one on land.

Benefits of Water Workouts Revealed

After measuring workout intensity levels among people exercising on a
stationary bike on land, and one designed for use in a pool, researchers found
that the aerobic intensity was the same.

However, while working just as hard, those in the water had lower heart rates,
because the pressure of the water helps your blood circulate more effectively
with fewer heartbeats.

According to the American Council on Exercise, your heart rate will be reduced
by as much as 17 beats per minute compared to land exercise,1 so be sure to
keep this in mind if you measure your heart rate to watch your intensity.

When you're in the water, your heart rate will be lower than on land, even if
you're exercising very strenuously, so you need to listen to your body, not
rely on heart rate, to gauge when you've had enough.

The study, which was presented at a meeting of the Heart and Stroke Foundation
of Canada and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, also found that the water-
based workout caused less wear and tear on your body, making it an ideal
alternative if you have trouble exercising on land.

When you exercise in water, you have to support only a fraction of your body
weight compared to on land. In fact, the water reduces your weight by about 90
percent!2 This means the stress on your weight-bearing joints, bones and
muscles is greatly reduced, lessening your chances of injury or sore muscles.

Plus, the water acts as a form of built-in resistance, as though you've
surrounded your body with weights, making it simple to increase the intensity
of your workout and challenge muscles you might not on land. Also, because
water lessens the effects of gravity, you're able to move your body through a
wider range of motion, which is an ideal way to improve your flexibility. Even
your lungs get a beneficial workout, as the water pressure makes them work
harder than they would on land.

If you are overweight or obese, elderly, have arthritis, joint pain,
osteoporosis or an injury that makes weight-bearing exercise on land difficult
or painful, a water workout may be for you.

Working out in Water: Important Caveats to Consider

If you decide to work out in water, keep in mind that land-based exercise is
still important to get weight-bearing benefits (the kind that will help
strengthen your bones and prevent bone loss and osteoporosis). Another
important consideration: swimming pools typically contain chlorine, and along
with it, disinfection byproducts (DBPs), which are formed when bromide,
naturally existent in the source water, and/or organic materials like hair,
skin, sweat, dirt and urine react with the large amounts of chlorine used to
sanitize the pool water.

DBPs are over 10,000 times more toxic than the chlorine itself and have been
linked to DNA damage and cancer. In one study, more than 100 DBPs were
identified in pool water, and when researchers measured evidence of genotoxic
(DNA damage that may lead to cancer) and respiratory effects on swimmers who
swam in a chlorinated pool for 40 minutes, they found:3

Increased micronuclei in blood lymphocytes, which are associated with cancer
risk
Urine mutagenicity, a biomarker of exposure to genotoxic agents
An increase in serum CC16, which suggests an increase in lung epithelium
permeability
This is a serious issue if you swim in chlorinated pools on a regular basis,
as your body absorbs higher levels of DBPs by swimming in a chlorinated pool
once than you would by drinking tap water for one week! In fact, in one study
on trihalomethanes (THMs), one of the most common DBPs, found the cancer risk
from skin exposure while swimming comprised over 94 percent of the total cancer
risk resulting from being exposed to THMs!4 The authors even went so far as to
conclude that swimming in a chlorinated pool presents "an unacceptable cancer
risk."

As an aside, DBPs are also the likely culprits for the increased incidence of
sinusitis and sore throats among swimming instructors,5 as well as the negative
impact of chlorinated pools on the respiratory health of children and
adolescents. In fact, one study found that in children with allergic
sensitivities, swimming in chlorinated pools significantly increased the
likelihood of asthma and respiratory allergies.6

This doesn't necessarily mean you have to give up swimming. Swimming in an
ocean is an excellent alternative, as is swimming in a lake or other natural
body of water. You can also find a way to keep your pool clean from bacteria,
algae, and other organisms without the use of dangerous chemicals.

One of the best solutions is NOT to chlorinate your pool and just use a
maintenance "shock" treatment every five or six days, which will kill the algae
buildup. The shock treatment volatilizes in about 24-48 hours and gives you a
several-day window in which you can safely use your pool. You can also reduce
the amount of organic material you bring into the pool, and thereby the amount
of DBPs created, by showering prior to entering and teaching your children not
to urinate in the water.

Using Water After Your Workout Also Beneficial

Have you ever felt just fine immediately following your workout, but within 24
hours, you start to feel pain? This is called delayed-onset muscle soreness
(DOMS), and for some, this discomfort is enough to make you think twice before
going back to the gym or engaging in activities you would otherwise enjoy.

Immersing yourself in a cold-water bath 24, 48, 72 and even 96 hours after
exercise appears to be significantly more effective than rest in relieving
delayed-onset muscle soreness.7 Cold water immersion, or "cryotherapy," is
thought to help reduce muscle inflammation and pain after exercise. It works by
lowering the damaged tissue's temperature and locally constricting blood
vessels. Cold also helps numb nerve endings, providing you with instant,
localized pain relief.

So, if you want to relieve sore muscles following an intense workout, you can
try spending 20 minutes or so in a cold tub of water (10-15 degrees C, or 50-59
degrees F). If you don't like the idea of full-body cryotherapy, you can also
try a more targeted approach by applying a cold pack to a specific area of your
body. While this won't give you full-body relief from muscle soreness, it can
be beneficial for an injury or a pulled muscle.


Source: www.mercola.it

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