Seniors benefit from community pool's aqua aerobics classes

The water isn’t very deep, maybe three or four feet, in the shallow end of the Rice Lake Municipal Pool, but on three mornings a week at 7 a.m., it fills up with people who are there to engage in one of the healthiest activities senior citizens can find: water aerobics.

The class has been a staple of the pool’s offerings since it opened in the late 1970s, and the 45-minute sessions typically draw from half a dozen to some 20 people, almost all of them women, and all in their “encore” years. One of them is Janet Poethke, 92, who’s been participating in the class since it began.

“I’ve always liked the water,” she said. “I was really happy when they built this. First of all, I swam laps, and then I went to the class.”

A retired nurse, Janet never envisioned swimming into her 10th decade.

“I’m comfortable in the water, and it helps me to move around during the day.” Swimming has been a big help for her mobility. “Water is everything. There’s no stress, it’s just the perfect thing.”

Medical professionals are virtually unanimous in their verdict about the benefits of water aerobics and swimming for seniors. Harvard Medical School cites several advantages: It’s gentler on joints thanks to buoyancy, the added resistance of the water provides a combination of strength training and aerobic exercise, and people burn more calories than with most land-based exercises. Reduced stress is also a byproduct. People just naturally feel good in the water and refreshed when they come out.

Leslie Ferguson was conducting the class. She’s been helping out at the pool for “a long time.” Her daughter, Courtney Foss, now manages the pool and also instructs the class, along with Marsha Stoeberl.

“We always have a good group of ladies up here,” Leslie said. Occasionally, a man will try the class. “Once in a while, we’ve had a couple men come in, they come a couple times and then they don’t come back. Maybe they think it’s just for ladies, but that’s not the case.”

The benefits for seniors are many and varied, she said.

“It’s good for your joints," she said. "I think the water movement is good for your lymphatic system. It keeps all the fluids moving in your body. We do muscle toning, stretching, aerobics, and so they get a full body workout, and it’s fun.”

There’s a social aspect to the class too.

“They enjoy their camaraderie," Leslie said. "A lot of times they go out for coffee afterwards, and I think they’ve developed some strong friendships. It’s just a really good, well-rounded activity.”

Over at Optimum Therapies, Isaac van Thomme works with a lot of seniors who are rehabbing knee and hip replacements, dealing with joint pain and other muscle-related ailments. The key is to get moving, he said.

“Newton’s First Law of Motion states that a body in motion remains in motion," he said. "It’s the same with people. If they move, they’re active.”

That leads to better mental health, as well as physical fitness. Van Thomme has worked with seniors who have had trouble with stairs.

“They think the answer is to move to a place that doesn’t have stairs, but the real answer is to re-awaken that muscle memory," he said. "They all learned how to climb stairs as toddlers.”

The same is true for another activity seniors find challenging: getting up off the floor. The CDC notes that strength training in later life helps “to prevent osteoporosis and frailty by stimulating the growth of muscle and bone.”

There is also research indicating that strength training increases efficient blood flow to the brain and lowers the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's.

Water aerobics will continue to be a staple of the pool when the new facility opens its doors, scheduled for March 2025. Janet Poethke said she’s looking forward to the new pool.

“I’ll try to make it,” she said.