Water aerobics – an exercise beloved by older women. There may be some men that enjoy it too, though classes in a nearby gym I see largely attended by older women. Many (most?) of whom are likely Silver Sneakers members with free gym membership – with the gym reimbursed by Medicare Advantage programs. Looking around a large class, most women appear to be older than 65, some arriving with a walker, some getting into the pool with some difficulty. But once they are in the water, they are all smiles. The water and the atmosphere are both perfect temperatures – welcoming to all. And the bonus?
Music is a key part of water aerobics. Everyone enjoys being in the water, moving more easily than on land, socializing before and after the class. But once the music starts, the exercises begin, then all are REALLY happy. The standard song collection includes pop songs from the 60s and 70s, and most seem to know the hand motions for The Village People’s YMCA. But it can also include many other rock standards that everyone in the pool seems to remember (like Sweet Caroline, also great for Chair Yoga) and wants to sing along with as well as dance and jump around in the water.
Water aerobics targets all muscles and types of moves. Some instructors name the muscles as they go along, dividing the program into upper body, lower body, focusing on strength, cardio and stretches. Some of the instructors have a dance/Aqua Zumba style (and music choices) and lead with those types of moves. There is a range of difficulty, pace, effort involved, as with any exercise. But as you can tell with some videos, water hides a multitude of body types and movement capabilities. And all leave in a better mood than when they arrived.
Gyms are filled to the brim with highly motivated young people. They are lifting heavy weights (mostly guys), maximizing their heart rates with cardio movement classes, sweating as much as possible, managing their weight, etc. etc. Very admirable. Those sections seem to have few older adults – unlike the water classes, where participant age ranges well into the 80s. But the aging pool folks merit the greatest admiration – no matter how lame, to get up and get out in the morning, multiple days per week, change into bathing gear, change out of bathing gear – their effort is admirable and the benefits to them are great.
