Rectangular Pools

Another way to exercise

By Sue Nelson

Aquatic programs must use water time effectively to meet the needs of the community. In other words, programming needs precede design needs. Communities can keep building “cookie-cutter designs,” then try to figure out how to make them financially sustainable—but it is not recommended. A common programming issue is the water in a pool sitting unused during morning or early-afternoon hours. Guests are waiting to discover the benefits of moving in the water for exercise, and rectangular pools provide the solution. If a pool is properly programmed, the term “prime-time hours” need never be used.

Fifty percent of Americans suffer from at least one chronic disease. One of the best strategies to deal with this problem is targeted exercise. Gravity can be painful for people living with chronic conditions and also diseases that limit flexibility, affect balance, and diminish coordination. Some people give up on their exercise regimens when they are in pain, when they cannot see any progress, or when they feel not supported in making a plan to succeed. With more than 50 percent of adults in the United States not knowing how to swim, being in the water for therapy and for exercise is not for them. The benefits that result from exercising on land or in water are well-established, and yet aquatic facilities are missing out by not using the right words to tell consumers that the water actually is helpful. Water solves the gravity issue. Rectangular pools can be and should be “aquatic health clubs,” “aqua gyms,” or “water gyms.” The facilities tend to market the fun, safe, and competitive aspects of swimming, but fail to elaborate on the options for specific kinds of vertical and horizontal exercise in a pool. It’s time to show community members how to exercise in the water to live a better, more functional life on land.

Comforting Information

Start by promoting vertical exercise in marketing and informational materials. Sell the benefits of bringing someone who may feel uncomfortable into a pool.

Among the benefits:

• Aquatic exercise conditions the entire body.

• Water disperses heat better than air, therefore preventing overheating.

• Water acts as a “cushion” against injury.

• Exercise prevents high blood pressure.

• Exercise relieves stress.

For those who do not know how to swim, vertical exercise in shallow water can be the first step to learning. It is actually a form of cross-training—to start vertical and progress to horizontal.

Pools across the United States use water-safety ambassadors to teach classes/mini workshops as a perquisite to swimming lessons. Statistics for drownings have mandated action and a national effort to teach everyone—from parents of infants, to preschoolers, to school-age children, to adults—to learn to swim and be safe in the water. Rectangular pools have long offered swimming lessons and competitive swimming at varying levels. Once children and adults are safe in and around the water, everyone can have additional access to water sports for recreational fun.

Learn To Swim—From Infants To Adults

Rectangular pools are an ideal place for individuals who have never exercised before. Whether the exercise is gentle or vigorous, the benefits are tangible. Non-programmed water time presents an opportunity to help a population of people who find land-based physical therapy and exercise to be too painful. Share with residents that exercising in the water is perfect for strength and conditioning, the building of endurance, and improvement in flexibility and range of motion for all ages. It is often said that communities have lost interest in rectangular pools unless those pools have competitive swimming. Understanding temperature, access, and depth is the key in planning how to “fill” water time and meet the needs of the growing number of Americans who need to get moving, who live with chronic pain, and who have not been traditional customers of aquatic facilities. These programs not only can teach a person of any age how to be safe in the water and how to swim, but also to learn to exercise safely and productively. The citizens of the United States are living longer; thus, more people are experiencing chronic pain than ever before. Help them help themselves!

Sue Nelson is the owner of TAP, LLC in Colorado Springs, Colo. Reach her at sue@totalaquatic.llc.