Fitness

SplishSplash!

SPONSORED BY BAPTIST HEALTH

Baptist Health/Milestone wellness

Jack Frost bites at our noses in January and our body craves the warmth and comfort on those chilly snowy days. Warm your body in a 92 to 94 degree fahrenheit warm therapy pool at Baptist Milestone. It is the perfect place for sore muscles or injury recovery. The warm spa-like feel from our therapy pool will put your achy muscles at ease by releasing lactic acid and comforting aches and pains. In a warm therapy pool, your blood vessels are dilated, making it easier to move joints more freely without the pain and discomfort that you may feel during exercise on land. The heat works as a therapy, also known as thermotherapy, and is helpful in managing pain and discomfort in stiff, swollen joints. The buoyancy in water increases joint fl exibility, improves mobility, and increases circulation. Reduced effects of gravity while in water lead to reduction of joint impact, allowing for an increased range of motion. Aquatic exercise is used for rehabilitation or preventative therapies in order to enable mobilization and muscle strengthening while minimizing joint loading. When comparing land exercises to water exercises, joint forces are reduced 35% to 55% in water. These non weight- bearing exercises can increase joint mobility by 50%. Our aquatics team at Baptist Milestone brings energy to classes and motivates swimmers to get moving in the pool. Milestone offers Water Yoga, Water Wellness for Arthritis and Fibromyalgia, Pilates Feldenkrais, and pool classes for active agers. Our instructors strive to emphasize mind-body connection and make movements in the pool painless and effortless. Our Milestone aquatics Instructor, Dorothy, is a Feldenkrais Practitioner and has a Physiology of Sports degree from Strasbourg, France. Her class incorporates the neurology of movement and improvement through awareness. The Feldenkrais Method is a somatic intervention designed to help people reconnect with their bodies and learn ways to move with greater effi ciency. Attend a class today to experience the release of lactic acid and endorphins in the warmth and relaxation of the therapy pool!

Alison Cardoza, B.S. Exercise Science and Sports Medicine with a Minor in Health Promotions from University of Louisville. ACSM Certifi ed Personal Trainer and Fitour Group Exercise Instructor at Baptist Health Milestone. Former UofL Ladybird and NFL Colts Cheerleader.

photos by Dick Arnspiger