Pool Exercises:
Low Impact Exercises
For Great Diabetic Health

Adding pool exercises to your daily schedule if you are a type 2 diabetic may be one of the first things your doctor recommended you to try during your early check-ups for good diabetic health.This is because most type 2 diabetic's already have a weight problem often because of a sedentary lifestyle.

How Do I Get Started

So jump right into that pool and let's get started on your new pool exercises...

• Warm Up - walk normally through the water for approximately 5 minutes, preferably with the water at chest level for maximum benefit during your workout

• Jogging In One Place - Step up the pace a little and jog in place gently. Add some arm movements above the water level. You can easily make up your own routine using one arm at a time then alternating with the other arm, but some possible suggestions include the following:
  1. raise your arm above the head and reach for the sky. Lower it back to your side and repeat 5 times. Alternate to other arm.

  2. push the "invisible wall" out straight in front of you, palms flat as if you are pushing against the wall. Alternate each arm, repeating 5 times with each hand

  3. do forward arm circles with both arms then reverse and do backwards arm circles 5 times each direction

  4. shadowbox with someone in front of you for 1 minute

  5. remember during this entire war-up session session you are still doing a slow, steady jogging in place. With each daily routine, alternate your arm movements by making up your own versions of movement just so you can work out every major muscle group at different times in your arms, shoulders and chest.

Now continue on with some other low impact but great exercise and flexibility inducers for all parts of your body.

• Use a kickboard and flutterkick your way across the pool and back. Without a kickboard, just hold onto the pool side wall and flutterkick until you are too tired for more.

• Jog your way across the pool and back 3 times

• Do ten sets of push-ups off the side wall of the pool

• Stand with your back against the wall of the pool and do deep knee bends until your mouth reaches the water line. Return to the upright position and repeat 10 times.

• Do side lunges. Stand straight in the water. Push your right leg to the side, keeping the leg straight with the knee loosely locked. Place your right hand flat on your leg and slowly allow it to slide down your leg until your mouth reaches water level. Slide the hand back up towards your waist and return to start. Do 5 times each side.

• Hold an empty liquid detergent bottle by the handle in each of your hands and "swim" the freestyle stroke across the pool with your arms only. (Your feet will stay on the pool bottom). Rotate your arm up and over your head, into the water and run in a circle under the water, holding the empty bottle at all times.

• Stand with your back against the pool wall and raise one leg, straight out in front of you. Pretend you are trying to get your tippey toes to come out of the water and wiggle in the air.Lower back to start and switch to the other leg. Repeat this 5 times for each leg.

• Hold a beach ball between your knees and swim the length (or width) of the pool using your arms only.

• Jumping jacks in the water are the same as on the floor. Jump to open up your legs pushing one leg left, one leg right. At the same time, raise your arms out of the water above your head and tap the fingers together, keeping the arms straight and loosely locked. Return to the start position and repeat for 10 repetitions.

• Stand in approximately 3' of water facing the pool wall, your body touching it. Place your hands on the pavement/pool's edge right in front of you, shoulder width apart. Straighten your arms, lock your elbows and do a push-up, pulling your body out of the water. Hold for 3 seconds and then slowly lower back into the water. Repeat 5 times, rest repeat 5 more.

• twisting sit-ups can be accomplished by standing with your back against the side of the pool for support. Raise your arms to the side edge of pool and lay them from the shoulders to the finger tips on the pool edge for support. Bend your knees, pull them into your chest and then turn your lower body(the part still under water) to the right. Reverse, go back to center and then twist to the left. Repeat this 10 times counting each right, center, left as one complete turn.

• a great waist whittler is the trunk twist. Stand in chest deep water, hands at your hips and twist to the right. Return to center, twist to the left. Repeat 10 tens, one repetition is right - center - left.

• start your cool down by standing approximately 3-4 feet away from pool wall in 3' deep water. Pull your left foot up to the side and place it on the pool wall at a right angle. Press into the wall for support. Now curl your right arm over your head and lean into the left leg as the entire upper body stretches towards the pool wall. Return to standing position and do 3 repetitions. Change legs and repeat on the other side with other leg. Repeat 3 times again.

• Cool back down by repeating step number #1.

As you can tell, use a combination of standard swimming strokes plus regular floor exercises for your diabetic pool exercises program. Start with the amount of repetitions your body can handle and work up as your strength and endurance allows. Mix and match different combinations above for each 30 minute session.

First and foremost though - Enjoy yourself! Grab a few friends and make a weekly swim session of it, hopefully 3 times per week minimum for you to achieve the greatest benefit for your body from your new pool exercises program.

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