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Karen's Water Exercises

Updated  August 28, 2003

All motions start out gentle, and only get vigorous if I'm really feeling great! My PT's advice: IF ANYTHING HURTS, STOP!! (Or go easier.) You'll find that just changing the purpose of your motions and the angle of your body parts can change one motion from almost no-impact (kind-of flaccid) all the way to major work/drag in the water. I change what I do and when I rest depending on how I feel that day. This is my workout goal to date:

• Warm muscles for a bit in the hot tub (if appropriate).
• Gently walk forward then back across the pool or down a lane, with water at chest height, until I feel like I'm ready to move on to something else. Sometimes also go sideways over and back. Changing what my arms do, and bending or not bending my knees adds variety, exercises different muscles.
• Sit on the pool bench, hold my fanny up off the seat at arm's length and:
  -- bicycle motion with my legs for X counts
  -- do a modified frog kick, making circles in the water with my feet, first one way, then the other
• Turn over, hold myself up at arm's length looking into the water, and:
  -- do a backward bicycle motion
  -- do a straight-leg scissors motion, legs out then together (sometimes crossing my legs when they come together)
• Standing up at the side of the pool, water chest height, standing sideways to the pool edge, holding on with one hand, other hand on my hip for stability and to feel my pelvis function, using the leg opposite the pool edge (changing sides every once in a while not to over-tire one leg):
  -- do little circles with a straight leg, then reverse direction
  -- expand the circles wider and reverse
  -- swing my straight leg forward as far as comfortable, then back
  -- do figure-8s with the straight leg one way, then reverse
• Facing the pool edge:
  -- "climb" the side of the pool with my feet, up then down
  -- put one foot forward, one back, and lean forward, doing calf stretches
• In water only waist high:
  -- do gentle, controlled knee bends (it helped strengthen my knees!)
• For aerobic work-out, I do what some water instructors call a "Nordic Track" movement, only I add variations every 20 reps to exercise more muscles. I also vary how my feet land (bounce or just swap positions), depending on how I feel:
  -- With fists thrusting forward alternately, swing feet forward and back alternately, with hands in opposite positions than feet (ie, right arm forward with left leg forward, etc.), first rep in a narrow, straight-forward profile
  -- Next 20 reps, widening my profile, aiming arms and legs off at a gentle diagonal
  -- Next 20, widening the profile more
  -- Next 20, changing arms to in-then-out (bending at elbows) at water level, while opening and closing legs like jumping-jacks
  -- Next 20, continuing jumping-jack leg motions, but pushing arms (elbows bent) down to sides then up to water level height... kind of a jumping jack without my arms coming out of the water.
  -- That gives me 100, then I go through them again as long as I feel I can.
• I end with more gentle water-walking.

We are in the process of looking for a new home, and plan to install an Endless Pool. I will post an update here when we do!

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Wilms' Tumor Story, 1954  |   Wilms' Tumor Information  |   Faith Testimony  |   Supplements Info  |   Write To Me!