What Is Aqua Jogging?
Aqua jogging is an easy-to-perform, low-impact cardio exercise that can help you build strength, cardio endurance, and lose weight, without substantial risk of injury to the body’s joints, bones, and muscles.
What Are the Benefits of Aqua Jogging?
Aqua jogging is a popular way of improving cardiovascular activity, posture, as well as running form. While many runners spend their days jogging on a track or hard pavement, they risk injury from the excessive force placed on their joints for extended periods of time. Aqua jogging, on the other hand, results in far less impact on the joints, and therefore reduces the likelihood of injuries.
A Low Impact Exercise
It has been known for decades that exercising in the water is a great alternative or additive to any workout plan that provides a low impact alternative. For those who exercise on asphalt, concrete, dirt roads, and trails, the stress in the joints is the number one cause of physical injuries. Many people who suffer sports-related injuries are often prescribed water exercises in order to maintain strength and cardio until the injuries have time to heal.
Helps Build Strength
Water is heavier than air, and as a result, it provides more resistance to the body than when performing the same movements on land. In fact, water has 12 times the amount of resistance that air does, which makes it a great alternative for cross-training in the gym. Not only will it help to improve cardio endurance, but it is also a great way of toning your muscles. Ultimately, aqua jogging forces you to work harder, and burn more calories in the process.
Pace Is Irrelevant
For those who jog on land, maintaining a proper pace is important to a regular exercise regimen. But when you exercise in the water, the pace is irrelevant. Everyone who is in the water is putting forth the same amount of physical exertion, simply because the resistance of the water is the same everywhere. Not only is it harder to speed up and go faster in the water, the difference is for the most part, negligible..
Assists in Weight Management
Because of the greater amount of resistance that the body endures when exercising in the water, more calories are burned when performing a movement than on land, such as jogging. As a result, aqua jogging is a great way to burn calories and fat, as well as to improve joint and ligament health, with little negative effects.
How to Aqua Jog for Beginners?
Aqua jogging is a great way to increase muscle, burn calories, and improve cardiovascular function. However, it is an activity that requires the proper gear and location, in order to gain the most benefit.
What You Need
For starters, it is important to choose the right body of water in which to aqua jog. For most, this may mean jogging in a public pool. However, not just any pool will do, because it is important to choose a pool with a depth where your feet are unable to touch the bottom. Whether you exercise in a pool, or in a lake, it is important to ensure that the water is sufficiently deep.
Next off, you will want to find an adequate aqua jogging belt, which is a specially designed flotation device that will help keep your head above water while you jog. While most flotation devices are designed for the wearer to lay in the supine position (on your back), an aqua jogging belt is designed to allow the wearer to stay upright while in the water.
This is obviously extremely helpful when water jogging and essential for safety reasons. Although one is not required, you don’t want to be in water too deep to touch the ground while performing an exercise that tests your cardio endurance.
One of our favorite jogging belts is the Aqua Fitness Premium Flotation Belt due to its affordability and design. It is made from chlorine-resistant foam, and is adjustable to fit 20-inch up to 60-inch waists.
Tips for Beginners
When you first start out aqua jogging, it’s important to aim to reach at least 30 minutes of working out per session. Unfortunately, due to the greater resistance of the water, reaching this threshold when you first begin can be difficult. As a result, it is recommended for most beginners to start off with 5-10 minute jogs, until they feel comfortable enough to increase their jogs by 5-minute intervals. Within a few weeks, you should be able to build up your endurance enough to complete a 30 minute session, and if it takes you a bit longer due to any health or medical issues, then that is totally acceptable.
It is also important to remember that you should do aqua jogging sessions several times a week. Do not stop your other exercise routines, merely add this form of exercise to your weekly regimen. Keep in mind, that because of the resistance of the water on the body, heart rate will likely increase more rapidly while working out in the water, as opposed to when on land. And, as always, it is recommended to consult with your physician before beginning or adding any new exercises into your program.
Is Aqua Jogging Better Than Running for Cardio?
Aqua jogging is a popular low-impact exercise that is not only capable of increasing your heart rate, but can do so without putting excessive pressure on bones and joints. No matter how athletic you currently are, aqua jogging is an excellent way of supplementing your current training regimen without the risk of injuries. Therefore, the reward-to-risk ratio is very high. As a result, it is a great option for people who suffer from conditions such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, mental disabilities, or those recovering from an injury.
Boosts Cardio
Many people have been led to believe that running is the only true cardiovascular activity. However, aqua jogging is just as efficient, if not more efficient, than running on land. Not only does it allow you to boost your heart health, but it does so without risk of injury to your muscles and joints. Unlike exercising on land, the amount of pressure on both the upper and lower body is equal, which forces the heart to work even harder due to full body resistance.
If you are interested in learning more about how to increase your cardio, click here to check out our article on “How To Run 5 Miles Without Stopping“.
Facilitates Recovery
Another key benefit of aqua jogging is its ability to facilitate recovery from training and injury. Because of the reduced stress on joints and bones, aqua jogging is a great alternative for those who were injured and want to maintain or improve their cardio level. In many situations, additional training on equipment or land is not advised, nor possible.
Burns More Calories
If your main objective for jogging is to increase the number of calories burned in the least amount of time, aqua jogging is definitely a great option to consider. With 12 times more resistance in the water, the body will burn calories faster than running on land. For those looking to lose weight, aqua jogging can easily be implemented to achieve a calorie deficit with minimal risk of injury.
Photo by Kindel Media: https://www.pexels.com/@kindelmedia/
