Gym Membership? Think Again — Your Pool’s All You Need

If you’ve been eager to get back in shape, lose some weight, and improve your health, it’s not going to happen without some form of exercise. Moving your body and getting active is important, but it doesn’t mean you need to fork out money for a costly gym membership to kick your fitness regime into gear or get back on track. Your pool’s all you need!

No other workout burns calories, firms every muscle in your body, and boosts your metabolism better than swimming. So if you have a swimming pool at your disposal, why not save on a gym membership by swimming instead.

Swimming for Fitness

Swimming is the perfect form of exercise — it helps tone your body, it’s easy on your joints, it keeps you cool on those hot summer days, and gives your heart and lungs a good cardio work out. By swimming for only an hour, you can burn 500 calories with a light workout and up to 700 with an aerobic one. And because the water is much denser than air, the resistance ensures that you target your core, arms, legs, glutes, and back at the same time. You get a total body-strengthening workout while improving your overall flexibility level each time you swim. Plus, it’s easy to adjust your work out to match the level of intensity that you’re trying to achieve. So you can alternate between low-impact and aerobic exercises without having to purchase any equipment or join any classes.

Swimming is for Everyone

Fitness is essential for everyone, especially those with health conditions. However, many people avoid the gym when they have medical problems like diabetes and heart disease for fear that they may cause more harm than good. Fortunately, if you have a pool, you can get the exercise you need without enduring any negative impacts. In fact, swimming is often recommended as part of the diabetes treatment plan because it can help lower LDL cholesterol and raise the good HDL cholesterol in return.

Exercising daily or weekly in your pool can also help you to burn calories, lose weight, and improve your overall circulation. And it’s even a great aerobic workout for people with arthritis as it can take the load off any aching joints and help prevent injuries during exercise. Swimming is truly for everyone.

Ways to Use Your Pool

If you haven’t swum for a while, it’s best to start out with some simple laps to ease you into a fitness regime. Start with four lengths at an easy pace with a short rest at each wall. If you find it difficult, you can use a kickboard for the first two weeks. Once you’ve mastered these lengths, slowly move the number up until you reach ten full-lengths. Then when you’re ready to kick it up a notch, you can try alternating various strokes such as the backstroke and breaststroke into your laps to help balance your muscles and increase your flexibility. And when you’re finally ready to start a real swimming program, you can check online for some work out plans.

Don’t waste your money on costly gym memberships that you’ll likely never use — your pool is all you need when it comes to fitness. If you’re looking to have a pool installed or upgraded for your needs, contact us at Rideau Pools.