I EASILY HIT the Government target of two hours and 20 minutes of exercise per week. But I still had a less than toned body that I wanted; why?
At the age of 54, I can no longer blame my metabolism because a study from Aberdeen University (published in the journal Science) followed 6,400 people from eight days old up to the age of 95. Suggests that a person’s metabolism remains “rock solid” throughout midlife – and only starts to decline from the age of 60.
Professor John Speakman said, “It’s a picture we’ve never really seen before, and there are a lot of surprises in it.” He went on to say, “The most surprising thing for me is there is no change throughout adulthood. If you are experiencing middle-life spread, you can no longer blame it on a declining metabolic rate.”
Almost every article you read tells you that you can increase your metabolism by exercise and that physical activity remains vital for protecting us against every significant disease, for bone health, and maintaining weight loss. So, what more could I do to up my game to tone my body?
I’ve always been a bit dismissive of the legions of women of a certain age and build, jumping about to loud music in a pool doing Aqua Aerobics where they seemed to be having way too much fun to be doing any effective exercise.
It wasn’t until I did a KunAqua class at Champneys Spa that I was stunned because this is a whole different fish. Being me, I tried to power through the water walking exercises in the water and quickly realised my incompetence until I slowed down and focused. Focused on my muscles and how they felt in the water, marvelling at how I could feel the resistance forward and back but also the deep connections in my arms and legs and core: all I was doing was trying to walk in a straight line! Then I had to do the whole thing again but backwards.
At first, it’s quite a challenge, but then you let yourself be taken in by your focus, and your mind relaxes. At the same time, you are forced to become aware of your body, your foot placements, the new sensations of your body, and you go into an almost meditative state.
I definitely rush around in life, but I have found Kun-Aqua to be genuinely a revaluation. Over the next two months, I continued doing Kun-Aqua twice a week, my body has become toned, my core strengthened, and my posture greatly improved but best of all, my mind is also more relaxed, lowering my cortisol levels. We all know what excessive cortisol can do to the body!
Finally, an article in the Sports Journal indicated that water-based exercise elicits significant improvement in psychological well-being and joint mobility. Resulting in considerably better positive engagement, revitalization, and tranquillity, as well as joint mobility focused on shoulder flexibility. Moreover, it may provide additional benefits by reducing negative mood in terms of physical exhaustion. Therefore, water-based exercise is one of the most potent alternative training methods for improving basic elements of your psychological and physiological health. So, what are you waiting for? Why not go and check out a Kun-Aqua class?
