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■下次除了在泳池游水和嬉水外，還可試一試水中帶氧運動呢。資料圖片
■Lydia Lui
It's been a while. Swimming pool is a place I seldom go to, not to mention beach. Though different doctors and patients repeatedly told me that swimming was the best way to train your muscles and lessen body pain, I was not interested......Lately, because of my back pain, knee pain and the growing pains here and there, I decided to give it a go(試試看) !
I always know the water resistance helps protect your muscles and joints(n.關節)in vigorous movements. But I am not a good swimmer. I just never succeeded in taking a breath at the right time with the right technique to keep myself moving. I also know swimming is an aerobic exercise(帶氧運動), which is good for strengthening heart and lung and good for weight control. But with my ever-failing breathing technique breaking down my swimming into breathless, broken motions, the aerobic exercise becomes anaerobic(adj.非帶氧的)! Then what good is left with my way of swimming?
I went, but I did not go for swimming. It was a totally new experience to me and, I believe, to many of us, that we can do more than swimming in the swimming pool. It is called aqua fitness(水適能). It is also known as aquatic exercise(水中運動) or water aerobics(水中帶氧運動). It is still not very popular among the general public in Hong Kong but some therapeutic aqua fitness classes do appear in rehabilitation(n.康復)societies. We don't need to know any swimming techniques but we can still take the advantage of the water resistance! Simply search online the keywords "aqua fitness" for free how-to videos. Some are even subtitled(adj.附有字幕的). From warming up to cooling down, from working out at the shallow end(淺水處)to the deep end(深水處), fitness models and coaches will teach you each set of exercises step by step (phr.按部就班地). Or if you are not confident to try yourself, you can always find some more official classes to attend.
In my case, I watched a bunch of(一大堆)online how-to videos, then I went practising myself. I didn't have any equipment such as water aerobics shoes, flotation(n.漂浮)belts, flotation devices(e.g. noodle float)or ankle and wrist weights. I went with nothing, so I started with jogging. It was quite embarrassing at the beginning when everybody around you were swimming or playing with water. Nobody was jogging except me. But I must try this. It would be too costly to bear the pains just because of embarrassment. I kept jogging and jogging. I started to have adapted to the water then I began to try some jumping. It was actually quite enjoyable!
I like water aerobics better than land aerobics(陸上帶氧運動)because I won't get hurt easily with the protection of water resistance. Obviously you won't feel hot or uncomfortable with sweat all over your body in the water! Swimming is a competitive sport. You always aim at swimming faster and holding your breath for a longer time. It is also hard for people like me. If you have attended a few courses but still can't grasp the basics. You feel disheartened(adj.灰心的). Water exercises, on the other hand, are easy for everybody who can stand alone without a stick.
This summer is getting hot. Why don't you try something new in the swimming pool? ■lydialuieng@gmail.com
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