Water walking towards health and well-being
Outcomes for healthy aging can be enhanced by social connections, an active lifestyle, policy support and financial wellness. gettyimages.com
A life-long advocate for physical activity, Sandra Hartley found it difficult to follow her own advice as she reached advanced age with numerous joint and back problems.
After having heart surgery, she knew she needed exercise to build up her strength and regain mobility, but her previous go-to activities proved challenging and left her in pain. What finally made a difference – and inspired a new passion – was her discovery of water walking.
With water being denser than air and offering both buoyancy and resistance, water walking is a “no-impact activity with a gentle aerobic as well as endurance and mobility benefits,” explains Dr. Hartley, now in her late seventies, who regularly joins a group of water-walking enthusiasts in the deep end of the local pool where water temperatures are kept at balmy levels.
“Wearing a foam belt that allows us to float vertically, we’re like astronauts in outer space, moving pain-free and chatting about how good the water feels,” she says. “I enjoy the social element of people sharing something very physically active. And when I get home, I’m all relaxed and the stiffness is gone for a while.”
Two years ago, Dr. Hartley suffered a major heart attack and required the placement of a stent. The surgeon told her that her fitness level played a role in her survival, but recovering her strength after surgery proved challenging. “It was an evolution of trying to find something fun and aerobic that isn’t so hard on my body,” she says.
An informal poll among her fellow water walkers revealed a common goal: “getting fitter without pain,” Dr. Hartley reports. “One said, ‘I’m a former physical therapist and just felt this was worth trying for arthritis now I am older.’ Another said, ‘My brother needed STEM cells from me, so I decided to get fitter to be a donor.’”
What appeals to many is that water walking allows them to go at their own pace and adjust their movements to their personal needs; it can also be complemented with resistance devices. Different people have different routines, with Dr. Hartley committing to 30 to 40 minutes multiple times per week.
“The deep water has already made me much stronger. I am now at the point where I can pick up my paddle board and carry it down a rocky beach,” she says, adding that such positive results inspired her to encourage others to explore this “recreation wellness opportunity where you don’t need waivers for medical risks.”
Finding a solution to mobility and joint pain was important to Dr. Hartley, who loved and trained in artistic gymnastics 1964 to ‘70, representing Canada at every world event including the 1968 Summer Olympics. Later on, as professor in gerontology, kinesiology and health psychology at the University of Alberta, she focused on aging well. She wrote (as S. O’Brien Cousins) and lectured extensively on cultivating a mindset that helps us stay physically active.
Dr. Hartley hopes more awareness, including among seniors’ advocates and recreation planners, can help make water walking more widely accessible so more people can benefit.
For those who don’t have ready access to a pool, she recommends perseverance in finding activities that work for them, perhaps taking inspiration from Active Aging Canada, an organization offering free resources to agencies across Canada.
“By the time you’re in your 70s, almost everybody is grappling with multiple health challenges, and many had a health scare they need to overcome,” says Dr. Hartley. “Staying active provides a great way to relieve stress and do something positive for your health.”
To view this report on The Globe's website, visit globeandmail.com
To view the full report as it appeared in The Globe's print edition Healthy aging