Category Archives: Swim Spa

There are many different types of back problems, and no shortage of people that suffer from chronic back pain as a result of many different types of medical conditions. These can range from arthritis in the spine to slipped or herniated discs, or simple wear and tear and muscle strain. The swim spa can be the ideal resource for providing much needed relief from the discomfort associated with back problems.

Of course, before making any attempts at pain relief, a proper diagnosis should be made by a health care professional. Chronic back pain is a major health problem that can be expensive. The medical profession is actively trying to take multiple approaches to helping individuals with controlling the pain caused by back problems. Many people’s first solution used to be to control the pain with drugs, but this has proven to be a serious problem because the drugs required are often heavy narcotics, and create the risk of addiction. Now a different approach is being taken, encouraging back pain sufferers to try other forms of treatment such as a change in lifestyle, including exercise. Hydrotherapy can be very beneficial in this regard.

It is important that a structured water exercise program be designed for the individual. Overdoing it is not a wise move. Just the warmth and movement of the water can provide some instant relief that leads some to becoming overzealous with their water exercise.

Just as any form of exercise requires a warm up and cool down segment, the same applies for water therapy. Entering the swim spa and just giving the body a chance to adjust to the water is the beginning. Then some simple movements of the arms and legs will begin the exercise warm up.

A good beginner exercise is the knee-to-chest. The individual stands on one leg that is slightly bent in a comfortable position. The other leg is then stretched out in front at a comfortable level. Hold on to the side of the pool to provide support. This helps to limber up the muscles and gently stretches them. Make sure to do both legs to ensure equality in the exercise.

Leg raising is another beneficial exercise. Start off by raising your leg to a comfortable level, and during each exercise segment strive to increase the height a little more each time. This helps to build strength in the lower back, as well as the hips and legs.

Another great stretching exercise is to hold onto the side of the water spa for support then let the body float away from the side, will gently stretch the body out.

Once these exercises have been completed, adding a few swim laps to the regime will help to build stamina and agility. In order to receive the best benefits from water therapy for back problems, the exercises should be started with slowly and increased as the body adjusts, and done consistently.

From relaxing to exercising, there are a huge variety of ways to use your swim spa. There are a lot of benefits that come with this type of spa, and whether you’re a professional athlete or a casual swimmer, if you own a swim spa, we’re sure you know what we mean. Here are the top five benefits of exercising in your swim spa.

Muscle Toning and Strengthening

For the get-fit enthusiast, this is one of the main benefits of the swim spa.  Getting and keeping the muscles in shape isn’t just for the young. People middle-aged and older can benefit a great deal from having their muscles toned and strengthened. They may use a different, gentler swim spa routine to accomplish, but that is one of the great features of a swim spa: it can be customized to fit the user.

Managing Weight

For individuals who are physically out of shape and are dealing with a weight problem, it is always suggested that they start some form of exercise. This isn’t easy because you may tire quickly and become discouraged. Using a swim spa to start building up endurance for exercise is ideal. The water helps to support the excess weight, and allows you to carry through with your exercise regime. Slowly, it’s possible to build up stamina – and this, in turn, makes on-land activities easier as well.

Increasing Your Agility

One of the big problems that a lot of people face is stiffness in their muscles and joints. They find they aren’t as flexible as they once were. This isn’t a complaint that is restricted to the older generation, either. Using a swim spa to limber up those muscles on a consistent basis helps not only to address the problem when it arises, but works as a preventative measure as well.

Living Heart Healthy

Just as the swim spa is beneficial for the various muscles of the body, the heart is also a muscle and therefore it also receives benefits. Swimming is classed as an aerobic exercise, so this puts it into the heart-healthy exercise category. Keeping the heart in good shape benefits the entire body through increased blood flow.

Treating Various Ailments

There are a variety of ailments which affect people nowadays, some of which have no true cure. Some of the common ailments are arthritis, fibromyalgia, and even asthma. The best that can be done is to keep them under control. This is usually done through the advice and care of a medical professional. In many cases, there are several things that you can do to help yourself, too. Some may not realize that a swim spa can be helpful for those who are afflicted with asthma. Many asthma sufferers have trouble working out in dry environments, which can result in an attack. The moist air in the swim spa environment has been found to be beneficial for asthma sufferers.

The amazing thing about the benefits of the swim spa is that they are applicable to almost everyone. It’s just a matter of deciding how you want to use your swim spa to build a healthier, happier you.

By buying a quality water unit, whether it be a pool, swim spa, or hot tub, you are saving yourself from a lot of potential problems in the future. One of the main reasons people will hesitate to buy a swim spa, for example, is because they believe it requires too much work to keep it in good order.

Your pool, hot tub, or swim spa should never be a burden, but instead a constant source of enjoyment. This begins with buying high quality, then having a spa provider that offers good customer service and swim spa or hot tub service packages.

These water units take very little care when they are properly maintained!

Enhancing the enjoyment of your hot tub or swim spa begins with the purchase and installation. When you use a quality provider, they have the expertise to help you decide on the best location for your new unit. Choosing the right location helps with your future maintenance.

Once you have your hot tub or swim spa up and running, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with maintenance. Then, you can decide which tasks you want to put into the hands of the service experts. Companies that specialize in hot tubs and swim spas often offer a selection of service packages.

Which service package is best for you will depend on how often you are using your water unit, and even the number of people that use it. You may find that you only require a monthly or quarterly maintenance service. Or, you may prefer to have it maintained on a weekly basis. This is something that your service provider will help you to determine.

You never have to be concerned if you are going away on holidays or leaving home for a period of time because you can always make use of a holiday check program.

Routine maintenance requires proper care of the water and keeping the water unit clean. These are simple but highly important. You have the option of doing this on a regular basis yourself by following the instructions that came with your hot tub or swim spa, and purchasing the appropriate chemicals needed to maintain it.

By starting out with a quality hot tub or swim spa provider that is offers top-quality units, and has a selection of service packages to choose from, you can rest assured that you made the right decision in buying one of these amazing spas for you and your loved ones to enjoy.

One of the greatest benefits of the swim spa is its ability to allow you to complete many different levels of exercise depending on your ability. For young athletes who want to keep in shape it is an ideal venue for water workouts. For those who suffer with ailments and want to start a rehabilitative regime, the swim spa is perfect. For seniors and those who are out of shape and want to strengthen their cardio system, swim spas are also an excellent resource.

Like any exercise equipment, there are right and wrong ways to use it. Getting exercise with the swim spa is super easy because of all the options available. Even just sinking into the water encourages one to gently move about and stretch their limbs, which is beneficial in itself.

For an exercise regime based on meeting a specific goal or need, some planning never hurts to help keep you on track!

Many of the exercises that you would do on land can be modified for the swim spa. Here are a few ideas to keep your workouts interesting!

Lap Swimming

Using your swim spa for lap swimming not only brings you all of the regular benefits that a traditional swim does, it allows you to take it one step further. Not only can you increase the number of laps you are completing each day, you can increase the resistance of the water that you are swimming against.

Aqua Jogging

There are many different running exercises that you can consider for your swim spa regime, but most of them probably don’t offer the same comfort that the swim spa does with all of the same benefits! Jogging in water is low-impact, which means less wear and tear on your joints and muscles.

Rowing

Being able to complete some rowing exercises in a top-quality swim spa like the AquaTrainer iX by Hydropool is something that will scale up your exercise efforts. This form of exercise really allows you to give yourself a good workout. Again, the water will help you to avoid straining your muscles.

Treading or Wading

You may think that remaining stationary in the water is not going to do much as a workout, but being consistent with this exercise comes with many benefits. You may want to use a floatation device and work against it to increase the intensity of your workout. It is a great form of cardio as well.

Buoyancy and Resistance

You can plan to include this in your exercise regime according to what muscles you want to work on. For example, doing squats in the water is quite a bit different than doing it on land. Alternatively, jumping in the water can be great for your legs, and not to mention fun!

While you will find that planning and following through with a swim spa exercise regime to be fun and rewarding, like any form of exercise you need to include a warm up and cool down segment. You also need to build your endurance so don’t overdo it as you progress through your different levels of work outs. Get creative and try some of your own exercises in the water – you may enjoy it so much that you’ll want every workout to be in the swim spa!

There are not many people that complain about having too much room in their homes, and many look forward to being able to put an addition when possible. It may just be a want for some extra space that can be used as a getaway from the rest of the house. You may be considering a sun room and even expanding its use by having a swim spa built into it.

There is no doubt that this is an exciting combination, and provides a lot of advantages by making good use of the extra space as well as increasing healthy activity for the entire family.

If you have decided that this duo may be a great addition to your lifestyle, then it means you now have lots of decisions ahead of you. Before making any major decisions about your sun room, you may want to focus on the swim spa first. Here are a few things to consider for adding a swim spa.

Demand Quality

The priority will be making sure that you are going to invest in a quality unit that is from a known and trusted brand name, such as Hydropool.

Choose According to Purpose

Most quality swim spas come with multiple features that meet many uses. Some want to use a swim spa for light exercise and just enjoy relaxing in a body of water. Others are intent on using water as their main means of exercise, while others want it mainly for frolicking around in the water and having fun. There is no reason why you can’t enjoy all of these activities with any swim spa, but some are better suited for specific needs than others.

Size and Shape

You are going to want to consider two aspects here. What size would best fit the main purpose of why you are buying the unit? And what is an appropriate size that would work well with the sun room you are considering?

These water units come in many sizes and shapes. The AquaSport or AquaTrainer brands are available in sizes ranging from 14 ft to 19ft. When it comes to shapes, there are plenty to choose from in the Bespoke line of swim spas.

In Ground, Above Ground, or Semi

If you are in the situation where you are having your swim spa installed first, you are going to have to consider your sun room construction. Then, you have the choice of whether you want to have this water unit installed in ground, above ground, or partially sunken.

There will be many additional decisions to be made, but these are the major ones that have to be made first so that you can make proper considerations for your sun room.

Your Sun Room Decisions

While you may be thinking about utilizing your sun room as your pool enclosure, do take some time to give this some extra thought. You may not be aware that there are some additional and equally good choices for other types of pool enclosures. The advantage of using a sun room may be that you don’t have to step out of your home to get access to your swim spa. The disadvantage is if you were planning on using your sun room for other uses like extra seating for entertaining, or for green housing, then you are dedicating some of the space that may have been used for this towards your water unit. There are some big decisions to be made for the housing of your swim spa, but the great news is there are lots of options ahead of you, and you are sure to find the perfect solution for you.

At one time, owning any type of water unit meant that there was a lot of extra work to keep it in prime condition. This has all changed over the years, and water venues like the swim spa only require a few steps to maintain. However, there are a few mistakes to avoid to ensure that you are not creating more work for yourself when it comes to swim spa maintenance.

Not Keeping It Covered

If your swim spa it didn‘t come with a cover, or you didn‘t feel it was necessary to purchase one at the time, you may want to reverse this decision and buy one now. No matter how clear the surrounding area, the wind can still carry dirt and debris into the water. This means you are going to have to skim the water with your net each and every time you use it. It can also set the scene for potential problems, such as debris in the water, that make the filters work harder. The simple solution is a cover that is easy to put on and take off. This will also help to control the temperature of the water.

Not Wearing Bathing Caps

People with short hair don‘t have to be as concerned about this, but for long-haired individuals it is a good choice to wear a swim cap. Over time the long hair starts to clog up the inlet filters, much the same as what happens with your bath tub when hair accumulates in the drain. This doesn‘t have to be a hard and fast rule, as on occasion not wearing the cap is not going to cause that much of an issue. If the spa is used on a regular basis by individuals with long hair, it helps to implement the bathing cap rule.

Not Using Proper Swim Spa Products

One mistake that really has to be avoided is using normal household products to clean and care for the swim spa. With the use of the internet, you may at some time come across information that says you can do this – but you must take into account that all information on the net is not always accurate, and your swim spa may be totally different than the one being discussed. It is much safer and cheaper in the long run to stay with the products that have been specifically designed and formulated for swim spas. Home products contain different chemicals that could damage the components of your swim spa. Plus, mixing household chemicals with proper swim spa products could cause dangerous chemical reactions.

Wrong Water Temperature

Find the right temperature balance for water in respect to the environment it is installed in. If the temperature drops below zero and you are keeping your water cold then it could freeze. On the other hand, keeping it too hot means you really have to be on top of preventing bacteria.

Not Showering

Your swim spa is not a bath tub, and you can keep the water and its components optimized much easier if you set the rule that all users must shower prior to using it. The natural skin oils, suntan oils, and body creams can cause damage to your swim spa. A quick shower eliminates this potential problem.

These are just a few simple things to avoid along with the suggestions for correcting them to help you make the most of a fully functional and optimized swim spa. Over time, you’ll find that following these simple steps will make maintenance a breeze!

For those who desire a form of water entertainment at home, deciding between a swim spa and a swimming pool can seem like a difficult decision. Often it is a matter of budget when it comes to an addition like this, but with today’s technology both the swim spa and swimming pool can be quite affordable. So this means the choice now comes down to preference, and which best suits the family needs. Let’s take a look at how you can make your decision.

Location

This is usually one of the prime concerns when it comes to deciding between the swim spa or swimming pool. First, look at your space options, both indoors and out. You may think you could never have an indoor swimming pool, but you may be surprised both at the space requirements and the cost. With so many choices of shapes and styles, you just may have the perfect room to accommodate an indoor pool. Then again, once you have checked out all of the benefits of the swim spa in respect to its size, you may find this is a better choice. Swim spas are often more compact than a regular swimming pool. If an indoor water feature is not an option for you, study your outdoor area carefully. Chances are you will have better options there for either the swim spa or swimming pool. Let’s take a look at a few other things before you make your decision.

Use

If you have a family, no doubt each family member is going to have their own expectations of what they want their new water unit for. For the kids they want plenty of room to romp around in. The fitness buffs want to get down to some serious water exercise. Others may be looking at a water feature that is going to allow them to relax, entertain in, and maybe reap some health benefits. No matter what the priorities are, the swim spa and swimming pool are going to have some great options.

Comparison

Swim Spa

Swim spas are built for flexibility in regards to meeting all of your needs. It demands less space and less water, meaning that water temperature is more easily controlled. It is appropriate for both the beginner exerciser right up to those that want intense exercise options. This is all done through the control of the water current features that come with the swim spa. There are some types that include a hot tub on one end for people intent on relaxation. They are easier and faster to install if they are above ground. In a nutshell, the swim spa is capable of meeting all of the needs of a family while taking up less space.

Swimming Pool

If you have a large family, especially young ones, then they are going to want to make constant use of the unit and most likely want to have friends join them. In this case, one of the many outdoor above ground pools may be more suitable. Maintenance and repairs can also be less time consuming or expensive, because overall, swimming pools may have less parts to be concerned about in comparison to the swim spa which has the additional water jets and pumps.

Along with this information, your swim spa or swimming pool provider will be able to offer you additional information for comparison to help you make the right choice for your new swim feature. No matter what you choose, we’re sure you’ll love your new home addition!