Exercise Your Way to Feeling Better About Yourself…

Exercise can be extremely uplifting! Not only does working out help your physical body become stronger and more resilient, but it is also good for your mind and spirit.

There are lots of advantages for taking part in water exercise.

Water provides a gentle resistance to your movements which helps to improve strength and muscle tone. It also supports your body while it moves, which makes it safer and more comfortable, and is particularly beneficial for people who have weight or joint problems, or who are disabled in some way.

Taking time out of your day to exercise gives you a chance to let go of your worries, calm your mind, and concentrate on one thing – IMPROVING YOUR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

"Wellness is a process -a developing awareness that thereis no end point, but that health and happiness are possible in each moment, here and now."J.W.Travis and R.S.Ryan

Why exercise is important for people with disabilities and for those in rehabilitation?

Regular physical activity helps you feel better because it can help:

• increase your strength,stamina, and mobility.
• bolster a positive body image, and raise self-esteem.
• lower your stress levels.
• boost your mood.
• give you more energy.
• you move with more grace and gain confidence.
• you fall asleep at night and sleep well.
• improve muscle tone.
• you to have FUN!

Working in water will help you develop a stronger core while improving overall strength and flexibility. Posture and body awareness are enhanced through concentration and focus. The flowing movements performed against the water’s resistance provide a challenging workout, yet are easily modified for different fitness levels.

What are the health benefits to exercising in water?

The benefits are:

• No jarring on the spine, or joints, making for a very comfortable, injury-free exercise session at any weight, or level of conditioning.
• Multiple muscles can be worked at the same time or you can isolate specific muscles.
• Good for weight loss / fat burning.
• Builds strength and improves flexibility.
• Excellent cardio-respiratory exercise.

The soothing warmth and buoyancy of warm water makes it a safe and ideal environment for relieving pain and stiffness.

Do you know that water exercise helps keep your joints flexible, allowing you to continue to do your daily tasks as independently as possible.

Exercising in water is soothing for most people and it therefore has wellbeing, as well as health benefits. As a result, your quality of life is improved significantly.

"The will to change begins in the body, not in the mind." Adrienne Rich

I have rheumatoid arthritis - how will exercising In water benefit me?

Exercising in water will help you feel:

• Flexible: You can bend and move your body in water in ways you can’t on land.
• Strong: Working against the water will help your body get stronger.
• At less risk of injury: Water makes your body float. This keeps your joints from being pounded or jarred and helps prevent sore muscles and injury.
• Refreshed: You can keep cooler in water—even when you are working hard.

You don’t need to know how to swim to work out in water — you can do shallow-water or deep-water exercises without swimming.

Taking part in water exercises can help you start being more active, and healthier — no matter what your size.

But, why water?

• Very large people face special challenges in trying to be active. But being in water you only weigh 10% of your body weight - for example a 15-stone woman weighs only 1.5stone in water.
• You may not be able to bend or move in the same way on land that other people can. But, being in water you'll feel light and will be able to work out for longer.
• Water running is one of the best forms of cardio-vascular exercise. It's gentle on your joints, which allows full range of motion and increases strength, thus relieving overall muscle stress.
• Water running is good for the heart, burns calories and it's fun, AND it just may be the most beneficial conditioning and recovery modality available.

Facing these challenges is hard — but it can be done with encouragement and support!

Have you recently been set-back with an illness or injury?

Exercising in water allows you to work out when conditions otherwise would not allow.

Injuries, recovering from surgery, orthopedic conditions and back ailments all prevent millions of people from getting the exercise they need to recover properly and regain general good health.

Water exercises, aquatics, and swimming are an excellent way for those who have temporarily been set back; to build up strength, ease stiff joints and relax sore muscles.

Waters buoyancy greatly reduces the pressure on your joints, making it easier to perform needed range of motion exercise.

Watsu for Rehabilitation?

Watsu is a way to relieve muscle tension that often builds in those who have decreased mobility. The gentle stretches of Watsu help to maintain flexibility.

Many of the movements that can be performed in the water, due to its supportive nature, cannot be duplicated on land.

Watsu is gentle, peaceful and helpful in calming the mind. In essence, Watsu is a floating massage with light stretches and flowing movements.

It is blissfully relaxing ...

Water running for cardiovascular

Water running is a great way of staying in shape. It lets you build strength and stamina without any weight-bearing stress on your legs or back. At the same time, the resistance of the water as you move your arms and legs helps you to strengthen your muscles and joints.

It's low impact, and is a safe and effective cardiovascular exercise for those with stress fractures, muscle tears, lower back pain, or nerve damage to the feet.

Water running is also a good activity for seniors since the water keeps your temperature fairly even, and eliminates the stress and pounding of working-out in the gym.

Regular water running helps keep joints moving, restores and preserves flexibility and strength, and protects joints against further damage. It improves your coordination, endurance and your ability to perform daily tasks such as walking or writing).

Swimming for life, but why?

• Swimming uses all of the major muscle groups.
• Swimming develops muscle strength and endurance, and improves posture and flexibility.
• Helps maintain a healthy body weight.
• Increases agility
• Improves balance
• and it's fun with family, and friends

Fit for Life…

For over 15 years ATSSI has helped thousands of men and women of all ages and abilities:

• improve their health and well-being
• reduce body fat
• burn calories
• tone and build lean muscle
• strengthen abdominal muscles
• improve body alignment
• AND it's good for the mind, body and soul!

Water exercises are a proven way to increase your metabolism, improve balance, coordination and range of motion, and relieve tension — all with pain-free, low impact movements.

Who Benefits?

EVERYBODY!

all ages and abilities

DO IT TODAY...

“Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.”

• Being in water takes the stress off your joints, so you can exercise your body without your knees, hips or spine paying the price.

• While swimming is a great way to tone up, trim down, and control weight, for the able bodied, it can be adapted to your own physical abilities.

• Many physical activities in water are possible that may be difficult, painful, or even impossible to carry out on dry land. This is true even of able-bodied people, but is much more dramatic for people with disabilities. Immersion in water allows you to move in many ways you may have thought were no longer possible.

• Swimming produces an improvement in mood. The reason for this effect is not known, but has been well documented by medical research. This is especially important for the disabled because high spirits increase one's coping ability, and coping well with a disability can further a person's independence.

For people with a disability, swimming can be an enjoyable way of keeping muscles and joints active as well as maintaining your weight. It can improve stamina and stimulate the circulatory and respiratory systems in a supportive and comforting environment.

If the therapies and programmes outlined here all seem to be beyond your capabilities, the water can still provide you with a means to exercise. Simply learning to move, walk or float in the water, even with assistance, can be of benefit to you.