If you enjoy working out in the water and want an option where you can work out and relax straight afterwards, getting a hot tub for your home is a fantastic idea. A hot tub is not only a great way to add a touch of luxury to your home and provide yourself and your family with somewhere to relax right on your doorstep, but it can also be an awesome place to exercise with plenty of activities that you can do to get your body moving.
Hot water helps to increase your blood flow and release toxins from your body. It’s also perfect for a lot of low impact exercises that are tailored towards those who suffer from arthritis or joint problems, since the pressure is taken off your joints. Whether you want to exercise to lose weight, tone up, improve your flexibility or even boost your mental health, here are some excellent exercises to try in a hot tub.
Shoulder Rolls
Light shoulder rolls are a great way to start your hot tub workout. Roll your shoulders forwards and backwards as they are submerged under the water. While in a hot tub filled with warm water, this simple yet effective movement is an excellent way to improve your joint mobility and will help to boost the circulation to your upper body, particularly your shoulders, neck, and torso.
Bicycle Kicks
While sitting down in the hot tub, push your legs out towards the centre and then rotate them in and out, bending your knees in the same way that you would if you were riding a bicycle. You can also lower, straighten, and lift your legs against the water’s resistance to loosen tight hip flexors and work out your quad muscles.
Knee Bends
Stand on one knee in your hot tub and bring one knee up to your chest. This exercise not only works out your legs and ab muscles but can also be a great way to get some cardio exercise in if you rapidly alternate bending and raising each leg in a running motion while trying to get your knees up as high as possible against the resistance of the water. You can keep both hands on the wall of the hot tub or use a floatation device if you need some extra stability.
Torso Crunch
This exercise can be done while sitting or kneeling down. Make sure that your shoulders are submerged in the water and cross your arms in front of your torso. As you tighten your abdominal muscles, slowly twist your core from left to right. Breathe out while twisting from side to side, and breath in as you return to a central position. While doing this exercise, it’s important to make sure that your shoulders remain relaxed and focus on increasing your range of motion while moving from side to side. It’s a great exercise for building and toning your abdominal and oblique muscles.
Calf Raises
Calf raises are an easy, effective exercise that you can do in a hot tub to improve your leg strength. Start by standing in the centre of your hot tub and raising up onto your toes. Repeat this movement in sets of 15-30 repetitions to slim, tone and strengthen your calf muscles. If you struggle to stay balanced when doing this exercise, you can help yourself – and tone even more muscles – by tightening your abs and butt while you exercise. You might want to start off by using the wall of the hot tub for support until you get used to this exercise.
Cross Your Arms
You can do this effective arm exercise while either sitting or standing in your hot tub. Start by making sure that your shoulders are completely submerged under the water and extend your arms with your palms facing downwards. Move your arms straight out at your sides and then cross them in front of your chest. Repeating this move will work out your front and rear shoulder muscles and can also be a great cardio exercise since it will increase your heart rate.
Squats
Squats can be a lot of fun to do in a hot tub. And, by doing squats in the water, you can go for longer since you’re less likely to get sore knees. While in your hot tub, tilt your hips backwards as if you are sitting in a chair and put your arms out in front of you for balance. Sit backwards slowly and pause halfway down while tightening your abdominal muscles before coming back to a stand and repeating the move. Avoid locking your knees when you stand up to prevent unnecessary stress on your joints.
Stretching
The best way to end any hot tub workout is with fully stretching your body. Start off in a standing position, bend your knee, grab your foot, and stretch it behind you. Keep your bent knee as close as possible to your standing leg for a full quads stretch while pulling against the resistance of the water. Hold for 30 seconds or so before switching to the other leg.
Grip the wall while keeping both feet flat and bringing your hips back away from your hands towards the centre of your hot tub to stretch out your shoulders, torso and back. Keep your back flat and tighten your core as you stretch.
Health Benefits of a Hot Tub
Along with providing you with a place in your home where you can do a lot of effective water exercises, having a hot tub can be very beneficial for your health and wellbeing in a variety of different ways. A hot tub provides you with somewhere to relax and unwind, which can make it easier to deal with stress and anxiety. The combination of hot water, water jets, and the relaxing experience itself can help to relieve joint pain and tight muscles, help you get a better night’s sleep, and more. Check out Oasis Leisure’s hot tubs if you’d like to invest in a hot tub and take advantage of the health and wellbeing benefits at home.
Hot tubs are great for relaxing – but there are plenty of effective and fun exercises you can do in one too.
