By ROAD TO FITNESS MARJIE GILLIAM
Cynthia Brooks is a Certified Hydro Pilates instructor with more than 25 years of fitness education. Since discovering Hydro Pilates, a form of water exercise, and recognizing the many benefits that can be gained from this type of activity, she has become passionate about spreading the word to others.
Water workouts improve overall fitness levels by providing an excellent workout for the cardiovascular system, as well as improving flexibility and muscular strength. Hydro Pilates exercises involve nonimpact strengthening and stretching movements that help develop trunk stabilization, enhance muscle strength, correct posture and relieve stress. The water allows for ease of movement, making it an ideal activity for those with joint problems or other conditions that may prohibit traditional forms of exercise.
Brooks says, “People can maneuver themselves more easily in the water than they can trying to get up and down from a mat on the floor. Hydro Pilates strengthens the lower back muscles and can increase range of motion since the water alleviates the pull of gravity. Folks who are recovering from an injury or surgery find aquatic exercise an excellent way to rehabilitate. Many top athletes (even race horses) use exercise in the water as a complement to their training. You can move your body in ways that you simply couldn’t on land. For example, people who cannot do a karate type kick on land are able to in the water. The cardio section of the Hydro Pilates class involves minimum impact, just enough for bone health.”
As a former triathlete, Brooks was drawn to the water to stretch and workout in a nonjarring environment, which led to her teaching water aerobics, first in 1980 at Wright State and then at various facilities in the area including Five Seasons, the Metro YMCA’s, Country Club of the North and private swim clubs. For the past 10 years she has worked with Beavercreek High School’s cross-country team. “I try to make the workouts challenging, since I really like to work out, but the class participants are encouraged to go at their own pace and listen to their bodies.”
Anyone can have fun and benefit from taking a water class, Brooks says. “It can be performed by young and old alike, healthy and not so healthy, and women who are pregnant. You don’t need to know how to swim to benefit from water exercise; success can be achieved with no previous experience.”
Mary Lou Snyder has taken the Hydro Pilates class for several years. She says, “It has strengthened my body core tremendously and improved my breathing. In addition to all the improvements health- wise, I enjoy the fun and fellowship it provides. Cynthia’s class has improved my attitude and reason for exercising. I am 75 years old, and my doctor tells me, ‘Don’t stop Hydro Pilates.’ “
Brooks is currently teaching half of her water workouts at the Metro YMCA’s and has held classes at Five Seasons since 1999. Hydro Pilates is also featured at the Club of the North and Green Valley Swim Club, and if you have a backyard pool, personal training sessions can be arranged. Private sessions with one or more participants offer more individualized workouts, exercise form correction and lots of motivation. The classes are built on having fun.
Most sessions are 40 minutes long and include 15 minutes of cardio work, 15 minutes of Pilates and 10 minutes of stretching. Some of the workout moves designed for core strength involve the use of “noodles” — 3-foot-long foam flotation devices that provide support and safety in the water as participants perform a variety of abdominal exercises. Other moves use a noodle under the foot for resistance for both strengthening and flexibility, sweeping the leg across the body to work inner thighs and hip area.
Brooks says, “Most of the stresses and fatigue felt in the body are the result of poor posture, strength and/or flexibility imbalances, and incorrect breathing patterns. Pilates initiates movements from the abdominal, lower back, hip and buttock areas, flowing outward to the extremities. In Hydro Pilates movement, control is essential and begins with redefining the torso. You simultaneously stretch and strengthen the body, creating a habit of relaxed effort to follow. Instead of developing bulky muscles, a more streamlined shape can be achieved. Most of all, Hydro Pilates and water workouts are kind to the body, invigorating and ultimately relaxing.”
For more information on Hydro Pilates, Brooks can be reached at (937) 581-0164.
Marjie Gilliam is an International Sports Sciences Association Master certified personal trainer and fitness consultant. She owns Custom Fitness Personal Training Services. Write to her in care of the Dayton Daily News, call her at (937) 878-9018 or send e-mail to [email protected]. Her Web site is at www.ohtrainer.com.
(c) 2008 Dayton Daily News. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
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