Well what a week I’ve had. Sadly my session with the PT had to be postponed because of sickness all round, but I will be rescheduling I promise. But even though I have been a little under the weather, I really felt the need to climb off my sickbed this morning to have a go at aqua aerobics.

I have been dying to try this at my health club, because the gym is on a mezzanine level above the pool and often when I have been bouncing along on the running machine, I’ve heard the shrieks of laughter and communal singing from the pool as the classes get underway. Kool and the Gang is a big favourite and so I wanted to ‘Get Down On It’ too. I also had an ill-conceived notion of an Esther Williams type routine, which people in the gym would be admiring from above. Well they might have watching, but the Million Dollar Mermaid I wasn’t.

Lisa was our delightful instructor and as I hoisted myself in, I almost fell down the steps as she asked the assembled throng if there were any injuries she should know about. Blimey. That sounds hardcore I thought. One lady admitted to an artificial knee and another one said she’d done her cruciate ligament 6 months ago. Not in the aqua aerobics I hoped.

There were 8 of us in total and we were all women. I had expected that to be honest, because for some reason I can’t fathom, men shy away from it. (Perhaps any men reading this could tell me why). But I can tell you right now it is bloody hard work. We ran up and down the pool for the first 20 minutes, working parts of my body where I didn’t even know there was muscle. My pelvic floor hasn’t worked that hard since I had my two children and my knees genuinely ached.

I’d always assumed the water would help and I guess it is up to you how hard you push yourself, but it is like doing normal aerobics, with the added resistance of pushing water away. According to a great article in the Guardian comparing aerobics with aqua aerobics, water has 12 times the resistance of air, so that might explain it.

When the water woggle – or long floaty thing as I like to call it, was introduced, I breathed a sigh of relief. I play with these all the time with my kids when we go swimming, so I knew I’d be able to use it. But one poor woman just couldn’t stay afloat on it at all and completely capsized at one point.

The piece de resistance was finding a partner and dragging them behind you with that woggle, as you run the length of the pool. Now even though I was knackered, I decided that this was a race I simply had to win, as I was the youngest there by a good 15 years. I did just nick it on the touch from capsizing woman, who had found her floating mojo, but it was nip and tuck.

By the time the warm down came around I was visibly flagging. I had lost all co-ordination and when asked to tie the woggle in a big knot to do some resistance exercises, I wrestled with it in a manner that reminded me of the skirmishes Rod Hull and Emu used to have. I hauled myself wearily out at the end, thrilled that it was finally over.

I think I’d peaked in the first 10 minutes and maybe in my weakened state it was slightly over-ambitious. But would I do it again? Absolutely. And would I recommend it to friends? You bet. It is good fun and I can absolutely see how it would tone you up. I will definitely return when my tummy is a little less rebellious and after I’ve had a little more practice tying that flaming woggle in a knot.....

For more aqua aerobics information, this might help.

Tags: Esther Williams, Kool and the Gang, Rod Hull and Emu, Aqua Aerobics, Aerobics, The Guardian

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