In my quest to regain my fitness, last night I cinched a lifebelt around my waist, hooked a bungee cord through it and hung myself from the buoyline in the deep end. Then I jogged on the spot in water for an hour and a half with a few resting exercises thrown in between. It's called Aquajogging.
I wasn't alone. There were 20 others all listening to our instructor as she advised us to pace ourselves while pushing us up through the "pyramid" from working at 50% to 85%. We focused alternately on putting that energy into on our arms and legs, posture and abs. She encouraged us to raise our knees higher, keep our elbows tight to our sides and keep our hands formed like a paddle for a better workout. "This is good for your core stability," she called from the deck, while sipping from a water flask. Easy for you to say.
Will I do this crazy thing again? Absolutely. I babied my sore leg, the last remnant of my back injury, only for the first few sets. Pretty soon I was so absorbed in what I was doing (she was yelling out changes to our movements like it was a game of Twister) and trying to remember to breathe, that I got a really good workout.
Improving core stability is also the number one thing Mark at Inner Rhythm Surf Co: http://www.innerrhythm.net/ told me I should work on to improve my surfing.
Nearing the end of our session, the music switched cues from a disco version of Evanescence's My Immortal to smooth classical and she moved us down into the shallow end, sans belts, for warm-down stretches.
On my way to the sauna afterwards, I thanked her for the great workout and she said, "You did great!"
This is just one of the great programs offered by Whitehorse's Canada Games Centre, included in your membership, punch card or day pass. All you need is a wrist band from the front desk to jump in: http://www.canadagamescentre.whitehorse.ca/swim.php
I consider this centre my number one survival tool for winter, to beat cabin fever and keep me in shape until I can hit the ocean.
surfergrrrrrl, signing off
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