Aqua aerobics

I'm still mulling over a post about race for later in the day.

It'll be a busy morning, and not much time for the computer.  I can report, however, that I've committed to taking several days off from running in order to treat my calf injury.  I'm off to see a highly touted doctor of traditional Chinese medicine this afternoon; the fellow is known for his work on local amateur athletes.  I'm a bit nervous about acupuncture, as I've never had it done, but my fear of losing fitness is far greater than my fear of needles.

Desperate for a cardio workout last night that would not strain my calf further, I went to the gym with my wife to swim.  The pool was closed, however, for an aqua aerobics class.  Rather than pout, we jumped right in and participated;  I was the only man in the water.  (Reminded me of years and years of being the only man in gender workshops!)  Though I had doubts as to whether or not it would do much, I was pleasantly surprised; by the time we emerged from the water an hour later, I felt the endorphins kicking in.  I may have found a new low-impact workout for the repertoire. 

Near the end of the class, several swimmers were lurking by the pool, anxious for we aqua aerobicizers to emerge and allow lap swimming to resume.  One very fit young man looked at me incredulously as I emerged from the water with the women.  "Is that really a workout?", he asked.  "Oh yeah", I replied.  I then launched into an explanation of my injury, and promptly regretted doing so.  I wonder if on some subconscious level, I felt  the need to "justify" taking an aqua aerobics class by explaining that I was trying to rehab my leg; I realized too late that my "excuse" implied that taking a class filled with predominantly older women was somehow not worthy of a male athlete -- unless that athlete had no other choice.  So as penance, I am now proclaiming myself to be a proud novice aqua aerobicist, and expect to be found bouncing frenetically in the pool on many weekday afternoons in the near future.

Something more serious soon.

Comments

[Thomas]

Life magazine photographed a young Cassius Clay shodowboxing in neck-deep water circa 1960. (Though, for those who really know the story, he later admitted that this was not a regular part of his workout and he did it as a publicity stunt.)

[IT]

I did some "aqua jogging" when I was in recovery from a stress fracture after my first half marathon. Aside from the fact that I found it mind numbingly boring, it was a good workout. (I found a waterproof radio to hook onto my goggles, which helped!) It was also possible to really vary the motions to localize different muscle groups. The aqua aerobics probably helps with the boredom issue and makes it a better overall workout. Good luck!

[Andrea]

Ha! The same thing happened to me not two days ago. I had an hour to work out, and an aqua aerobics class was bumped forward into my swim time. I could either not work out or join in. The three grandmother-aged women there looked anything but athletic. But it was pretty good! I could really control the level of exertion--and it was non-impact. But let's get to the point: I don't think your embarrassment is solely a gender issue--though I imagine being a guy magnified it. I was mortified when a few athletic-looking guys came in and out while waiting for lap swim. I thought, "they must think I'm such a pansy, doing water aerobics."

But the quality of the workout might just lure me back anyway. And I agree with IT about variety--I think I'll learn some good moves for my own workouts. Although I'll be self-conscious doing something other than lap swim, even on my own. We're such proud creatures, aren't we?

[Andrea]

oh, and p.s. - I don't think it was such a bad thing to explain to the guy why you were participating. Might help open new horizons to him. Kudos for being sensitive to the unintended message of your defensiveness, but it probably affected him for good.