Underwater Treadmills Woo Boomers to Retirement Communities, Encourage Innovative Fitness Programs
Courtesy of Kim Eichinger, Director of Fitness
Country Meadows Retirement Communities
There are more than 77 million “Baby Boomers” in America, and reports show that they are inclined to live more active lifestyles than those of previous generations. This ultra-fascinating population is turning 65 at a rate of 10,000 a day… and will be for the next 18 years! Yet they don’t want to be slowed down by Mother Nature, medical conditions or other factors.
The challenge for retirement communities is to position their campuses competitively to attract this bevy of adults who wish to keep working out despite any physical impediments they might face. That’s why so many facilities like ours have turned to offering unique, technologically-advanced fitness options like the HydroWorx X80 underwater treadmill and jet machine. Not only does this type of ground-breaking equipment afford opportunities for instructors to “change up” their regimens; it also enables mature adults to enjoy outstanding, pain-free workouts.
For example, one of our residents, Kate, is 94 years young. As she has very emphatically told people, she came to us with back pain. After she started to work in the water with our team of aquatics experts, that pain disappeared in about a month’s time. Kate’s remarks have been echoed by others, including one of my colleagues who noted that the underwater treadmill is what our community members want as a low-impact, high-return way to challenge themselves.
Of course, investing in an X80 underwater treadmill and jet machine is the easy part; learning; how best to use it to catch the attention of residents (and prospective residents) takes a bit of strategy. That’s why we’ve developed so many water-based exercises that use the treadmill as the crux of the workout.
I want to share with you a few elements of some of my favorite routines. These are easy to implement and each of them utilizes the key advantages of the HydroWorx X80 in a dynamic way.
Step One: The Warm-Up
As any fitness instructor knows, the warm-up stage is integral to the overall success of any training session. Even in tepid water (we keep our pool at around 92 degrees Fahrenheit), the warm-up is equally as important as in land-based fitness routines.
I typically like to start the warm-up from the bottom of the body and work upward. Thus, the short warm-up typically includes:
Heel-Toe Raises – The rocking motion encourages plantar flexion and dorsa flexion essential for walking heel to toe. This movement is important for forward propulsion when walking and helps prevent shuffling.
Side-to-Side Rocking – Helps to prepare for weight shifting and side stepping patterns. In addition to the heel-toe raises, this is a great exercise for working the sides of the feet. Often, this is one area that’s ignored during warm-ups, but it’s essential for a positive outcome on an underwater treadmill. It also helps engage the hips and legs.
Trunk Rotation and Posture Press Ups – The handrails of the X80 work as a great feature to assist with exercises that encourage upright posture and trunk movement. By lightly pressing down on the rails to extend the spine and by reaching across the body to grasp the rails, participants can perform exercises to engage the core muscles.
Step Two: Walking Workout
Because of its intrinsic nature, the underwater treadmill lends itself to walking. However, I try not to allow our community’s residents to simply walk as they would normally do on land. By forcing them to think about their posture, gait and speed, I can help them have an extremely comprehensive workout that leaves them feeling refreshed but not uncomfortable.
During the walking working, I employ the following methods to get a solid calorie burn:
Arm-Swing Progressions – Reconnecting arm swing with walking is important for mobility. Participants who ambulate with a walker typically do not swing their arm when walking. With the X80 we can gradually connect arm swing with walking and still have the safety of the bars to assist the participant while the progress from swinging one arm to both arms.
Level 2 Arm Swing – As arm swing coordination improves strength and endurance can continue to be challenged by extending the arms through a greater range of motion or with more force against the natural resistance of the water. Interval training can also be performed by alternating periods of walking while grasping bars, swinging arms only with treadmill not in motion (no walking), and then walking and swinging arms.
Cross-Shoulder Swing – The motion of the cross-shoulder swing also provides a boost to the caloric “burn” of the underwater treadmill walking routine. When the arms are forced to move across the body against the natural resistance of the water, their flexibility and strength are engaged.
Step Three: Range of Motion, Strength and Balance
I feel it would be remiss to simply offer walking on the X80; after all, there’s so much more to do! For instance, range of motion, strength and balance (all of which are daily concerns of aging residents) can all be improved during the underwater treadmill workout.
Below are three of my favorite exercises to introduce:
Sit-Back Hip Stretch – Holding onto the bars for balance (or doing so without them, if possible), an individual can “sit back” in the water, bending downward to stretch the upper legs and hip area. To emphasize balance and give the abdominals a workout, I ensure that the core is engaged during this process.
Hip Abduction – Important for balance and walking. The handrails and resistance jet allow for a number of options for varying positions and resistance level in performing these exercises. This is also a great exercise to prepare participants for the strength, range of motion and coordination for side stepping on the underwater treadmill.
Balance Exercises Using Jets – Because the X80 comes with built-in jets, I use them to build balance. During the training, I have persons stand on both legs, then on one at a time, while the jets are on. Again, the hand rails are available for protection and comfort if necessary.
Step Four: Massage
By adding the massage hose to the HydroWorx X80, my residents can get a deep tissue massage along their legs, arms and back. It’s a great way to cool down, as it facilitates blood flow and reduces edema. So many of the Boomers I work with rave about how good it feels… and how it keeps them from getting sore the next day. Massage also enhances the social component of the cool down phase of the class. Participants love to relax and chat and this makes a nice closure to the workout.
They can’t believe it– they can’t believe the way their body feels! They just love it!
Water as the Wave of the Future
Forging ahead, it’s evident that the population of America is just going to continue to reach retirement age in record numbers. And retirement communities have to be ready for what that means.
Competition will continue to be fierce within the industry; that’s the reason those involved have to constantly strive to be cutting-edge. For us, part of our mission has been and continues to be fulfilled by our fitness and aquatics programs, highlighted by our HydroWorx X80 underwater treadmill workouts.
To watch Kim Eichinger’s exercise video on the HydroWorx X80 underwater treadmill, go to: http://info.hydroworx.com/icaa
8:09.72
This past Saturday, February 11th Galen Rupp broke Bernard Lagat’s American Indoor tw
o-mile time. The previous record was 8:10:07.
Rupp, training under Alberto Salazar with the Oregon Project, had splits of 4:07-4:02! The USA Track and Field Classic was held in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where the track star stole the show with a 8:09.72 two-mile time.
What is even more amazing, Galen came into the race on the tail end of a nasty cold dealing with congestion and a sore throat. He was able to catch up on sleep the day before the race, and needless to say, he didn’t let it affect him.
Despite this huge success and media hype from the race, the Oregon Project runner shows no stopping. Training for the 2012 summer Olympics in London, Galen has no time to slow down. Coach Salazar, a passionate HydroWorx customer, believes in the therapeutic power of water. Salazar incorporates the HydroWorx fitness pool into Galen’s and the other runner’s training regime at the Oregon Project facility in Salem. Not only can running on an underwater treadmill enhance an athlete’s stamina and muscle strength, but it is a critical tool for recovery. After a long day of training, running, and lifting, using the pool post workout, literally ‘takes the weight off’, which allows your muscles to recover faster.
And Galen does just that. He ends his long day with a short pool workout to let his body recover. If it works for Galen Rupp, the record breaker, it can work for you too!
Be sure to check out what Galen has to say about his performance, his sinus infection and racing!
Some reports consider the New York Giants the underdogs for Super Bowl XLVI. As they find themselves taking the field on football’s biggest stage against the New En
gland Patriots for the second time since 2008, we’re hoping they make a splash!
In order to play in Indianapolis this week, the Giants have overcome many obstacles, including injuries to key players. Despite a long list of injuries that included some critical players on both sides of the ball, New York had a strong start to the regular season.
Then, unfortunately, they were plagued with four straight losses and injuries to not one, but two wide receivers. Getting healthy at the right time, the Giants were able to secure an upset over the Cowboys and their spot in the playoffs– and a few weeks later, the Super Bowl. When the stakes are this high, athletes, coaches and the sports medicine staff of any team are looking for the fastest and safest way to get their athletes on the field for the big game.
Aquatic therapy pools have become an industry staple for this reason. For an injured player, walking or running on the underwater treadmill is virtually pain free. Being submerged in water reduces an athlete’s body weight, easing the pressure on joints and allowing them to move freely. It also allows them to begin rehab much sooner than a land-only program. In addition, the hydrostatic pressure of water naturally decreases inflammation and increases circulation adding extra healing benefits to rehabilitation.
Equipped with a HydroWorx 2000 Series, ThermalPlunge and PolarPlunge pool we know that the sports medicine staff for the Giants believe in the power of water and just might consider it their competitive advantage over the Patriots on Sunday. For more information on how the Giants and other pro teams are utilizing HydroWorx to keep players healthy and on the field visit our Video Library.
With aquatic therapy and fitness pools rapidly becoming a staple in any sports medicine facility, its no surprise that the hydrotherapy room at UT Arlington is the main attraction in their new center. Boasting a HydroWorx 500 Series, as well as ThermalPlunge and PolarPlunge pools, the new Sports Medicine Center will be a place for student athletes to move from injury to recovery. The school believes in providing the best care to their student athletes. Athletics Director, Pete Carlon says “the fact the arena was built around the pools will show that UTA seriously takes care of its athletes.”
“The focal point of that facility is the hydrotherapy area. That’s a special feature that you see in a lot of the professional sports healthcare facilities,” he said. “We went and looked at the Dallas Mavericks facility at theAmerican Airlines Center, and they have those there. I’m biased obviously, but I think we have as nice of a setup as what the Mavericks have, and they only have one practice court. We have two.”
HydroWorx would like to congratulate UTA on their new Sports Medicine Center. To view videos on how UTA may utilize the hydrotherapy products for their athletes check out our video library. Go Mavericks!
As a result of this process you will:
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Know how to proceed with the aquatic therapy program
- Know your organization previous failures due to unwanted campaigns
- Bring your into the spotlight by publically announcing the changes you are making to your clinic.
Step Two: Evaluation
Next, gather all the information from the investigation process and then develop various aquatic therapy services, offerings and strategies to suit the needs of your clients. This step is very exciting because you learn about the unmet needs of individuals, therefore enabling your facility to have that extra edge!
Step Three: Equipment Investment and Pricing
Throughout this process, it is important to make sure that you have invested your money in the aquatic therapy equipment that suits the needs and desires of your customers.
In addition, at the time of purchase, be sure to look over the financials of this new investment and how long it will take to generate a profit. This step cannot be done properly without the research of your customer’s needs and desires.
Step Four: Marketing, Marketing and more Marketing
Once you have evaluated your customers and decided what equipment to invest, then it’s time for marketing!
Never become complacent or comfortable with your marketing strategy because a competitor will come in and take over when you back off even just a little. Seidler, speaking from experience, says “for instance, if we had rested on our laurels, we would have missed the whole social media marketing trend.”
Building credibility is a must in order to generate any new leads or interest with your products and your company, as well as maintain your current customers. Building credibility is a result of your marketing campaign, which can be done in many ways:
- Create exciting programs
- Provide educational information about your therapy
- Discuss and publicize your company’s experiences and accolades
- Attend wellness expos, events and trade shows
- Develop a presence in the community
** If you are a HydroWorx customer, be sure to request our marketing toolkit and ideas by emailing us at corporate@hydroworx.com.
Step Five: Consistent Re-Evaluation and Re-Invention
The last step, but not the stopping point for your program, is to track your results, regularly update and “re-evaluate” your strategies. Look for new innovative ways to market your aquatic therapy services as well as reduce costs.
Knowing your customers and marketing your aquatic therapy products effectively has been proven beneficial for companies working on increasing their profit margins.
