While you may be interested in purchasing a hot tub to help you relax, it can also provide you with many great ways to stay in shape.
Below you’ll learn about several ways to exercise in your hot tub that will improve your flexibility, range of motion, injury recovery, and more.
Flexibility Exercises
If you want to improve your flexibility, doing simple stretching exercises in your hot tub is a great way to do it. Because it’s best to stretch a muscle that is warm, your hot tub is an ideal location for this type of exercise.
Shoulder rolls, ankle rotations, ankle rotations, arm stretches, and other stretches can all safely and effectively be performed in your hot tub. Stretch out each area of your body that feels tight, holding each stretch for 20 seconds.
Cardiovascular Exercises
A great cardiovascular exercise you can do in your hot tub is bicycling. Not only will this exercise increase your heart rate, but it will also tone your legs without harming your knee joints. Sitting on the edge of your hot tub seat, hold on to the side of the spa. Then, lift your feet off the ground and pedal like you’re riding a bicycle.
If you haven’t exercised recently, stay at a comfortable pace and stop once you feel tired. As you get in better shape and build strength and endurance, push yourself to increase your exercise time.
Abdominal Toning
When you have a strong abdominal core, it will be much easier for you to do things in your everyday life. To increase your abdominal strength, kneel on the floor of your hot tub. With your back straight, put your hands on your hips, flex your abdominal muscles, and rotate your torso back and forth. Push yourself to rotate as far as you can to each side.
Thigh Toning
If you want stronger, more toned legs, you can use your hot tub to exercise both your inner and outer thighs. The water offers excellent resistance. Sit in the hot tub with your knees together. Press against your outer thighs with your hands, applying pressure to your outer thighs while opening your legs. Then move your hands so you’re applying resistance to your inner thighs and close your legs. Do as many repetitions as you feel comfortable with, increasing them as you improve.
Relaxation Exercises
Hot tubs can be a great place to do breathing exercises for relaxation because they immediately put you in a relaxed state. Take a deep breath until you’ve filled your lungs. Then hold the breath for five seconds and slowly release it. Do this at least 3 to 5 times, increasing your number as you become more comfortable with the exercise.
Hopefully these exercise ideas will kickstart your commitment to fitness. To find out more about the best hot tubs for your therapeutic needs, download our buyer’s guide.