The Therapeutic Power of Water Exercise

from Poolcenter.com

Pool Exercises and Water Workouts

Aquatic exercise is sweeping the nation as one of the best ways to strengthen your body and lose weight! Exercising in water gives you a greater range of motion to maximize your muscle toning results!

The muscles through your whole body get a more intense workout due to water's natural resistance; 12 times the resistance of air!

The low-impact effect of water fitness puts very little strain on the bones and joints while allowing you to use water's natural resistance to strengthen your muscles. This makes water aerobics an ideal activity for anyone going through physical therapy, those with joint injuries, pregnant women. Great for active, older persons.

The AquaJogger Fitness System provides the perfect equipment to make your pool workouts more effective! Pool Noodles are also used for a number of easy pool fitness exercises.

AquaJogger belt keeps your body suspended in the water allowing you to freely perform water exercises. You will want to maintain good posture during your workouts and the AquaJogger will help you do just that!

DeltaBells maximize by providing extra resistance to strengthen and tone your upper body. Triangular design adjusts water resistance so you can comfortably tone your muscles at your own pace.

AquaRunners footwear tones and strengthens your lower body by adding extra resistance to your feet. Resistance footwear increases your cardio workout. Feel the burn!

AquaJogger Water Workout

There are so many great pool workouts you can do with the Aqua Jogger system! Here's a collection of some of my favorite water exercises to do with the AquaJogger water fitness gear.

Water Running and Walking

The most common of pool exercises is simply Water Running and Walking. The AquaJogger belt helps keep your body elevated in the water and supports your back. This gives you optimal posture and range to run in place in your pool. The extra resistance of the water will make running much more intense than if you were to run outside of the pool. It's amazing how much you can boost your cardio workout with just water! Amp-up your water jogging workout by wearing the AquaRunner footwear!

Cross Country Ski Water Workout

One of the most powerful aquatic exercises is the Cross Country Ski. This exercise utilizes heavy resistance, which works all of the major muscles in the body. This pool exercise, done often, will help you lose weight, tone muscle and increase flexibility. To begin, extend your left leg forward and your right leg behind you. Your right arm should be extended forward and your left arm behind you. Begin alternating your legs and arms to the front and back. For additional resistance in your arms and legs, you can utilize the DeltaBells and the AquaRunners.

Tires - Leg Water Workout

Tone and strengthen your legs with the Tires exercise; a move that imitates doing drills of hopping through tires in a boot camp. Keep your posture straight and your arms horizontal. Then, with your legs turned out and feet out, alternate pushing down with each leg and quickly pulling your leg back up.

The AquaRunner footwear will amplify your workout by making it harder for you to push and pull your legs. They can add a whole new level to your lower body work out and keep your legs in great shape!

Breast Stroke Arms Water Workout

The power of water's natural resistance can keep your upper body working hard as you push and pull your arms through the water. A great exercise to work those shoulder and chest muscles is the Breast Stroke Arms water routine. With the use of the foam DeltaBells, you can create extra resistance while moving your arms through the water. Hold the DeltaBells out in front of your body, extending your arms all the way out. Keep your elbows straight. Sweep your arms out to your sides. You will feel the resistance of the water. Return your arms back in front of you and repeat.

Bicep Curls Exercise

Feel the burn in your arms by utilizing the DeltaBells to do Curls. DeltaBells provide the perfect amount of resistance you need to tone your arms. Their triangular shape is designed so that you can control how much resistance you are comfortable with. To do a proper set of curls, keep your elbows bent and your upper arms held straight down at your sides. Alternate pulling the weights down into the water and lifting them back up. You can choose to grip the weights palm up or palm down.

Jack Knife Abs Workout

Assume a comfortable reclined position with your feet at the surface of the water. Keep your legs straight. Using your abdominal muscles, curl forward to your knees. Recline back and repeat the process. You can keep your arms extended in front of you or keep them held at your chest. Hold the DeltaBells for added resistance.The AquaJogger allows you to stay suspended in the water so you can perform more beneficial workouts. Try wearing the AquaJogger to do the Jack Knife abs workout. With the posture and range that the AquaJogger gives you, you can get an amazing abs workout!

Pool Noodle Water Workout

The old pool noodle has multiple uses, one of which is to provide floatation and stability during water workouts. Here's a small sample of just a few exercises you can do with a pool noodle.

PLANK:

Lay out flat in the water, with your toes hooked onto a ladder tread or safety rope. Extend your body fully, stretching your legs and arms in opposit directions. While lifting your head out of water with a deep breath, push down on the noodle, while keeping your body straight (like a plank of wood). Hold the position, and exhale as your allow the noodle to float up again.

CRANE:

Hold your pool noodle with arms shoulder width apart, while standing in chest deep water. take a deep breath and push the pool noodle beneath the water while keeping locked arms. Lift one leg straight back behind you, keeping your knee locked. Exhale as you relax your arms and lift your head, bringing your leg back to the starting position. Repeat for the opposite leg.

KNEE RAISES:

Hold onto the pool noodle with both hands, with your elbows resting comfortably. Take a deep breath and raise your knees up to the chest. Hold the pose, and slowly exhale as you bring your legs vertical again. Twisting your legs will add a workout to the obliques.

KNEE DRIVES:

Wrap the noodle around your back with your elbows resting on the noodle and your hands gripping each end. Lean forward with a running motion and drive your knees toward the surface. Alternate between fast, low drives and longer, slower high drives.

The next time you think about joining a gym or spending a fortune on tons of fitness equipment, just think about all of the great muscle building workouts you can do in your own pool with three basic pieces of water exercise equipment or just a Pool Noodle! Melt that fat away and tone those muscles in the comfort of your swimming pool!

Get the most out of your pool this year and imagine the near future – a slimmer, stronger you!

Bring Back the Guests!

from Resort Cabanas

It didn't use to be this tough getting bookings.

And so here you find yourself, pulling out all the stops to fill those rooms and bring sufficient meetings-and-events business in through the front doors. Improve your chances of success. How?

By maximizing your property's visual cachet, its "Wow!" factor. The temptation in times like these is to cut corners on site optics and instead rely on brand reputation to carry you. But you know better. Name alone is no longer enough. You need your place to stand out as never before in order to convince the world that yours is the only hotel or resort worth visiting, worth spending money at. What's imperative is that travelers, tourists and event-goers fall madly, passionately in love with you the instant they catch sight of your grounds. And that's exactly what Resort Cabanas can do for you!

Resort Cabanas, a division of Eide Industries, Inc., offer contemporary beauty, comfort, protection and privacy alongside the swimming pool, on the beach, in the garden and in any lounging area with custom cabanas and canvas gazebos.

10 Myths of Pool Ownership

from California Pools

Here are the top ten myths - and some helpful tips - about owning and maintaining a swimming pool.

1. "I can't afford a pool."

Owning a pool is probably a lot easier than you think. There are many reasonably-priced options for putting a pool in your backyard. The type of pool, materials, accessories, and landscaping you choose will influence the cost of the project. You should also remember that your pool will help reduce other expenses, such as the cost of vacations away from home, membership dues to community pools and other recreational activities.

2. "My yard will be ruined for a year and workmen will be around all the time."

An accurate understanding of the building process will help you develop realistic expectations for the completion of your pool. Many pools are completed in just a few months. But obviously, unforeseen factors such as the weather or permit delays can affect the building process. A good builder will communicate any changes in the project schedule to you as soon as possible.

3. "It takes too much time and effort to maintain a pool."

You can always hire a professional to do the job, but with today's cost-effective technology, you can get the same great results in very little time. In fact, maintaining a pool is easier than maintaining your car or your lawn!

4. "My electric bill will significantly go up if I own a pool."

Utility bills vary depending on where you live and who your provider is, but average estimates show that utility bills only increase between $30 and $50 each month. But that's nothing when compared to the money you'd otherwise spend on entertainment, vacations, and trips to the community pool, including the expense of gasoline, food, and concessions.

5. "I'm afraid of the risk of accidents and drowning occurring at my pool."

While attentive adult supervision is the best way to maintain a safe pool, fences, pool covers, gates and pool alarms offer additional layers of protection to enhance safety. Some experts believe that having a pool actually saves untold lives because children who learn to swim at a very early age are less likely to drown in an emergency situation later in life.

6. "I am worried about the increased insurance and liability that come with owning a pool."

Homeowners should always check with their current insurance brokers and shop around for the best coverage available. You should also contract with a reputable builder, carefully read safety materials, closely follow safety equipment instructions, and ensure that there is adult supervision of the pool at all times.

7. "Pools require constant repair."

You should research a builder's work and ask questions about the longevity of the pool types they are considering. Proper cleaning and maintenance prevent the need for unscheduled refurbishing, and some companies may even offer a lifetime guarantee for pools they install.

8. "I'm afraid of getting taken by a dishonest pool builder."

Like with any building project, you should always check a builder's professional credentials, ask for references and view samples of complete work.

9. "A pool is a big investment and I'm afraid that financing will be really difficult."

Homeowners can finance a pool with a long-term mortgage. Additionally, pool builders who offer in-store financing have industry experience and can explain financing options, loan terms and current interest rates to help you find a manageable monthly payment plan.

10. "I've heard that pools detract from the appeal of a home in the real estate market instead of adding to it."

Not true. Banks and other financial lenders often look favorably upon swimming pool financing, considering it a "home improvement" that will increase both the current and resale value of the home.

Global Drowning Tracker

http://www.drowningtracker.com/

May is National Water Safety Month.  How do you get involved?  Start with the Global Drowning Tracker.

Should you build a porch or a patio?

Do you need to build a porch? Maybe a patio will suffice.

Read more: from Fox News via Networx

Are you thinking of hiring a deck builder to build a new porch or deck for your house? While it could be a good investment, it might not be the most effective expenditure. If you need to landscape your yard as well as create an outdoor living space for yourself, a patio built into your landscaping might be a more efficient use of resources. Building a patio into your yard also is time efficient. If you are considering building an outdoor living space to improve your house's curb value and you want to start showing your house as soon as possible, then bypass the deck and go right to building a patio.

A good landscaper or landscape designer should be able to guide you through the process of building a patio into your existing landscape. Before you hire the landscaper or landscape designer, be sure to check his or her references. Go to see patios that he or she has built or designed before, to see if the work is durable and up to your standards. If all is a go, then have some fun choosing materials with the landscaper.

Flagstone or slate tiles are a classic material for a backyard patio floor. Also look into cement pavers. Cement pavers come in many different shapes and sizes, and can give you some flexibility with design. Another option is to create a gravel or rock-covered patio ground covering. Solid stone slabs are pricey, but look luxe. Another option for a patio floor material is brick, which is durable and classic.

The way that you edge around the patio will help to create a patio that rivals a deck's independence from the rest of the yard. Shrubs, flower beds, rocks, or pathways are options for edging around a patio. You can also erect trellises, arbors, or fences, or build a pergola over your patio for shade. A raised garden bed or a small wall in the center or near the edge of a patio can help to define the space. To make your patio really stand out, be sure to add dimensionality with built structures and edging.

For patio inspiration, I recommend looking at Minneapolis-area landscaper Switzer's Nursery & Landscaping's photos of patio alternatives to decks on Hometalk.com. It's a great inspirational starting point for building a patio as an alternative to a deck.