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Aqua Rejuvenate is a feel-good water workout that combines segments of active movement with an introduction to intuitive fitness training. Intuitive fitness is all about listening to your body and matching your exercise efforts with how you feel on that day and in that moment. Take away some light and breezy choreography, along with a strategy for instructing freestyle exercise in a manner that empowers participants to own their workout.
If you are lucky enough to instruct or exercise in an outdoor pool in the summer months, Aqua Rejuvenate is a ‘tilt your face in the sun’ kind of water workout. Designed for more mature audiences, the choreography is low impact and the intuitive fitness segments can be performed for strength or flexibility. Filmed as a follow-along workout, an audio download is also available.
Exercise should leave you invigorated and feeling good. A workout should not leave you exhausted or in pain. People get in trouble in group exercise classes because they play “monkey see-monkey do” with the instructor, ignoring common sense and following every movement the instructor does regardless of personal comfort or stamina. Group fitness instructors are almost never privy to the health histories of their participants. The best they can do is offer exercise modifications and encourage participants to work to their own abilities. Unfortunately the pressure to conform in a group often causes participants to abandon caution and push themselves too hard.
Consequently, any benefits from participating in a fitness activity are negated by post-exercise pain and lethargy, which is definitely not a winning formula for exercise adherence. Exercising beyond one’s fitness level or poorly executing movements can exasperate existing conditions and make someone worse off. The solution is for exercise participant’s to own their fitness experience and move in a way that is compatible and beneficial to their fitness level and goals. “Easy enough” said NO group fitness instructor…EVER. But there might be strategies that can help instructors encourage participants to do just that.
INTUITIVE FITNESS
Intuitive fitness is all about listening to your body and participating in exercise activities that match how you feel on that day. Intense aqua aerobics may not be what your body needs on a day when you wake up tired and sore. Maybe you need to make a cup of coffee, stay home and do some gentle stretching, yoga or meditation. Perhaps a walk outside in the sunshine might be a better choice. Exercising intuitively is about interpreting what your body, mind and soul need on that day. It doesn’t matter what you choose. All exercise is good as long as you honor your body.
EXERCISING INTUITIVELY IN A CLASS
Exercising intuitively in a group fitness class can be more challenging due to the pressure to conform in a group setting. Aqua Rejuvenate demonstrates a strategy in which instructors add a couple of segments to their classes where participants choose whether to perform a series of exercises for power and strength; or for serenity and stretching. Introducing this concept will empower participants to own intensity and intention, ensuring that they are more likely to work within their own abilities. Freestyle instructors will feel comfortable with this intuitive approach as it works best when simply working through a list of exercises and muscle groups.
ASSISTED OR RESISTED
The three segments in Aqua Rejuvenate include a list of movements for upper body, lower body and core. Each of the movements is taught for 30 seconds. Participants can perform the exercises powerfully, focusing on the water’s resistance with a goal of muscular strength and endurance. Or they can opt for performing the movements slowly, assisted by the water’s buoyancy and instead focusing on flexibility and joint mobility.
WATCH CLIP OF INTUITIVE DIRECTIVES
FLEXUOUS
Yes, FLEXUOUS is a word!
*Flexuous: full of bends and curves; it can also mean fluid or undulating *
U.K. Aqua Expert, Steph Toogood, uses this cue to encourage participants to soften movement and move with less rigidity. I liked the cue so much I stole it.
CHOREOGRAPHY VS. ACTIVE MOVEMENT
Referencing the word “choreography” is an immediate turn-off to many instructors. Therefore, I now hereby call it “Active Movement.” The reality is that choreography is really just a method of instructing base moves and their variations. Freestyle, as demonstrated in the intuitive fitness segments, is just one of these methods. In the active movement segments, base moves are taught with the both the add-on and pyramid methods of instruction. Teaching movements with an add-on approach creates a more predictable fitness experience for older adults. Consequently, they exercise with increased confidence as they become more familiar with a recurring sequence of movements.
LOW IMPACT
The Aqua Rejuvenate routine was created for my low impact, senior class. The active movement segments were intentionally designed with one-footed moves to reduce impact. Many aquatic fitness classes are actually high impact because of the prevalence of two-footed jumping moves, such as jacks, skis, tucks and moguls. One-footed moves, such as jogs, kicks, pendulums, leg curls and rocking horse are lower impact because weight is simply shifted from one foot to the other rather than jumped on both feet.
CHECK OUT A CLIP OF ONE-FOOTED CHOREOGRAPHY
SLOWER MUSIC
The music cadence was kept at a steady 120bpmfor both the active movement and the intuitive fitness segments. Personally, I used to think this cadence was painfully slow for shallow-water choreography. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how effective the slower cadence was in allowing for full range of motion and smoother transitions. The choreography can be taught to a faster beat if your participant’s desire a more vigorous cardio workout. The music used in Aqua Rejuvenate was from Yes! Fitness Music and specifically approved for use in a video. The song titles are included in the choreography notes and can be selected from their custom mix library; or you can email Fitmotiavtion and request a link to the full playlist.
Whether you like the active movement (choreography) segments or not, I think the freestyle intuitive fitness segments provide an excellent training tool for empowering students to own their workout. And I think this routine makes an excellent backyard pool workout for a sunny day. Happy summer! Well…to those in the northern hemisphere!