Longtime water exercise class offers variety

By

Sports

July 21, 2014 - 12:00 AM

There is more than one way to exercise in the water than just to swim. The isometric water exercise class wrapped up its first week at the municipal pool. Starting today, it will run from 11 a.m. to noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until Aug. 15.
The class meets all year long on Tuesdays and Fridays at the Super 8 hotel from 9 to 10 a.m. Pauline Hawk, 79, has been instructing the class since 2005.
“These are not aerobic (exercises). They do not affect lungs and heart,” Hawk said. “But, they do keep your range of motion and will strengthen your muscles and joints. That’s primarily what it’s for, because the water serves as resistance, so we can work against something.”
The names of the exercises often sound just like the name implies. Reaches require swimmers to reach, knee lifts require knees to be lifted and arm twists require arms to twist. There are more complex names such as the helicopter, baseball swing and washing machine as well.
“I learned to do this when my late husband, Dale, and I went to Yuma for the winter. I liked to do it and a friend of mine wanted to learn how to do it,” Hawk said. “It was late in the summer and the pool was closed, but we found out that we could do it at the Super 8. So, I decided that as long as I was going to teach her, it would be just as easy to teach several people how to do it.”
Hawk says the exercises are recommended for the elderly, especially. The exercises are held in chest-deep water and a lifeguard is on duty at all times at the municipal pool. The water helps carry the weight of the body while still allowing action. Sunscreen is recommended.
Hawk said Luke Bycroft at the recreation office helped get the class started.
The class started at the Super 8, where it continues to go all year long.
“But when the new pool opened, it was so nice,” Hawk said. “It’s great, we just walk in, people don’t have to climb stairs,” because of the zero-depth entry feature when the new pool was built in 2009.
Kathleen Sinclair, 87, has enjoyed going to the classes, attending since about two months after they originally started.
“My sister-in-law asked me to take her and that was 10 years ago,” Sinclair said. “I’ve been at the classes ever since.”
For the classes at the municipal pool, the only charge is admittance to the pool, which is free to those 65 and older. For more information contact Hawk at 365-5565.

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