This program highlights the health benefits of water exercise

Nikki Courtney has been an exercise physiologist for about 10 years and always loved working with aquatics programs. When she joined the Public Health and Wellness Division of the Visiting Nurse Association of Cape Cod (VNA) 18 months ago, she wanted to continue that work. The problem was a lack of pools – until now.

Courtney’s work in public health takes her to 13 towns from Bourne to Provincetown. Everywhere she traveled, she asked about finding an available pool. Now she has finally found not one, but two pools and will begin offering senior aquatic conditioning programs in the towns of Brewster and Falmouth this summer.

The Brewster program will be a four-week program running in July and August at the new town pool at the former Cape Cod Sea Camps property on Route 6A. The Falmouth program will be at the indoor therapeutic pool in Atria Woodbriar Park and is expected to be a six- to eight-week program on an ongoing basis year-round. The VNA partnered with the Senior Centers in both towns and the programs are only available to the residents of those towns.

Since the VNA is the public health entity for both towns, they have a contract with each town’s health department. The health departments are paying for the programs so there is no cost to participants.

The program will be an hour long and will include strength training and the use of dumbbell-shaped foam and noodles. Class size will be around 15 people.

“It’s aimed to be a generalized exercise class so we’ll start with some cardio, do some strength and balance and end with some flexibility and stretching,” Courtney said.

Benefits of Aquatic Exercise

“The pool is such a therapeutic environment,” she said. “It is amazing to see how someone walks and functions on land and then see how they can function in water. When you are in water you are not fighting gravity pushing you down.”

That buoyancy helps people work a range of motion they might not be able to achieve on land. It also helps with balance and it is gentler on the joints.

“There are a few properties of water that really pull it all together,” Courtney said. “Buoyancy is one of them because it’s the opposite of gravity. For me to stand on land and try to lift my leg, I’m really fighting the weight of my leg and gravity is trying to push it down. When I’m standing in water, the buoyancy of the water is trying to push my leg up, so it’s basically working opposites.”

Buoyancy also helps with breathing because the hydrostatic pressure helps force the blood up from your legs towards your heart so your heart doesn’t have to work as hard to do the same amount of work, she said. That also strengthens the diaphragm and respiratory muscles. Additionally, it helps alleviate the swelling for people with edema for the same reason.

Aquatic exercise is helpful for many different health conditions, Courtney said, including:

• Orthopedic or joint issues.
• Arthritis.
• Fibromyalgia.
• Parkinson’s disease.
• Sensory disorders.
• Pain management.
• Back pain.
• Sciatica.
• Edema.

Not For Everyone

As beneficial as aquatic exercise is, it isn’t for everyone. Participants must submit a VNA Participant Information Sheet and VNA Medical Clearance form. 

The health conditions that disqualify a person from participating include:

• Uncontrolled blood pressure.
• Uncontrolled seizures.
• Incontinence.
• Open wounds.
• Unstable angina.
• Recently recovered from heart attack or stroke.
• Serious respiratory disease.
• Severe cognitive dysfunction.

Anyone who would like to learn more about the program is invited to a public talk, “The Therapeutic Benefits of Aquatic Exercise,” from 2:30 to 3:30 on Thursday, June 22 at the Brewster Council on Aging, 1673 Main Street, Brewster. Contact the Brewster Council on Aging at 508-896-2737 to reserve a seat at the talk. Courtney will discuss how the properties of water create a therapeutic environment that is optimal for exercise. There will be an open discussion period at the end of the talk.

For more information or to register for the program, contact the VNA’s Public Health and Wellness Department at 508-957-7423.