Swim for fitness

We receive questions about topics other than removing chlorine from swimwear.  Here are some health fitness items.  As scientists, we look into the scientific literature for answers.  

Our Favorite Question: Why do fingers and feet temporarily wrinkle with prolonged water exposure?  And, should I use lotions on my hands and feet before swimming to stop wrinkling?

Answer:  That’s called, “wetness wrinkle phenomenon”.  It happens in pools, the kitchen, the bath, the ocean,  chlorinated water, detergents, warm, cold, dirty or clean water.  So, that tells you something right there.  This is not a chemically or a temperature induced skin reaction.  So why does this happen?

Initially science thought temporary wrinkles were caused by osmotic movement (simple osmosis).  But that does not hold water.  If that were the case then our fingers would swell in fresh water and shrivel  in salty water.  If we soaked our hands in water that had an identical salt concentration as our bodies there should be no change at all.  No movement of water (osmosis) would occur and there would be no wrinkly or puffy fingers.  They would remain the same.

Scientists then asked if it could be our fingers and feet wrinkled for a reason?  The first clue was described by Lewis and Pickering (1936).  They found the wrinkling response to wetness disappeared in individuals with nerve damage to their fingers. So, the body is in control here, not some external influence from water.  If it is our bodies then the wrinkle response to wetness then must offer some benefit.  Thanks to science we now have a good idea what it is.

A paper by evolutionary neurobiologist Marc Changizi and his colleagues (Changizi, et al. 2011) provided strong evidence that wrinkled fingers and toes are very useful when we are in wet environments. The skin’s wrinkled surfaces provide channels for water to escape when picking up wet objects.  This increases friction or traction.  Changizi and colleagues showed the same happens with our fingers and toes.  As they squash down on a hard, wet surface the water has a way to escape.  The tires on your car use this very concept.  The tread allows water to escape to increase traction on wet roads.  Smooth tires like drag racing slicks provide the best traction on smooth dry surfaces.  The same holds true with shoes.  Therefore, do not wear smooth soled flip-flops around the pool because you can easily slip and fall.

So, Changizi and colleagues provided solid evidence this wrinkling helps our hands and feet.  The wrinkle response is not the result of external influences but rather our body’s reaction to those influences.  The body makes this happen.  It happens for our convenience (picking up wet objects like shellfish) and for our safety to protect us from slipping on wet surfaces.

So, you have the answer to the second part of the question– do not lotion-up hands or feet before swimming.  It is NOT good for the water (ocean or pool) and it is certainly not safe for you.

References:

Changizi M,  Weber R,  Kotecha R, and Palazzo J (2011):  Are Wet-Induced Wrinkled Fingers Primate Rain Treads? Brain Behav. Evol. 2011;77:286–290.

Lewis T, Pickering GW (1936): Circulatory changes in fingers in some diseases of the nervous system, with special reference to digital atrophy of peripheral nerve lesions. Clin Sci 2:149.

Question:  Is aqua aerobic exercise beneficial for osteoporosis patients? 

Answer:  That depends.  But always remember, consult your physician before starting any health fitness exercise program.

The International Osteoporosis Foundation estimates approximately 200 million people have this disease. About 14 million reside in the United States and 68 percent are women. On average, 50 percent of women over age 50 will likely have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.  That is twice the rate of osteoporosis fractures among men.  A Dexa Scan and doctor consultation is useful to determine your bone density status as medication might be considered if density is below normal.

WHAT YOU CAN DO?  Fortunately, we can take steps to help prevent and treat this disease.  The time to begin a health fitness routine is now.  People of all ages should have some kind of health fitness schedule.  Exercise, and especially weight-bearing exercise and a proper diet including calcium and vitamin D is a great place to start.  Weight bearing means on land and preferably includes some relatively vigorous exercise using additional weights.  If you are slender, maybe a weight vest while walking to get extra weight on your knees and hips. DO NOT start this without seeing your doctor if you already have symptoms of osteoporosis– you could get hurt and even cause a fracture.  When you finish exercising it is nice to get into the pool or better yet a hot tub or sauna to relax.  It is a great way to complete your routine.  Remember, stretch, do warm-up movements, then exercise, then stretch again.  When finished with the health fitness exercise routine relax, not the other way around.

Question: If I cannot do weight-bearing exercises should I still consider non-weight bearing exercise? 

Answer:  Yes. It is good for your heart, joint flexibility and general health fitness including balance.

Question:  Are nonweight bearing exercises like aqua aerobics beneficial to fight osteopenia or osteoporosis?

Answer:  Not as much but still Yes… For years we have been told that to build and maintain good bones and prevent fractures we must consume diets sufficient in calcium, vitamin D, and, get weight bearing exercise. Few studies investigated the potential benefits of nonweight bearing exercise on osteoporosis in the past. That has recently changed and the results are encouraging.  Below are study results for those already on osteoporosis medication, and then for those not on bone building medication.

Question:  What if I am on osteoporotic medication already, will non-weight bearing exercise be of any additional help?

Answer: Yes.  A paper titled, “The impact of adding weight bearing exercise versus nonweight bearing programs to the medical treatment of elderly patients with osteoporosis”, is a study by researchers Alsayed A. Shanb and Enas F. Youssef (2014). This was a small study involving only 40 individuals (27 females, 13 males) all currently receiving medications for osteoporosis, but the results are significant. Participants were randomly assigned into groups. Group-I: Twenty patients practiced weight bearing exercises. Group-II: Twenty patients did nonweight bearing exercises. All patients trained for 45-60 min/session, two sessions/week for 6 months. The researchers were able to statistically show that the addition of a weight bearing exercise program to medical treatment increases bone mass density (BMD) more than nonweight bearing exercise in elderly subjects with osteoporosis.  But both groups showed significant benefit.  Furthermore, both weight bearing and nonweight bearing exercise programs significantly improved the Quality of life (QoL) of patients with osteoporosis.

Take away: If you are on medication to fight or prevent osteoporosis, including weight bearing exercise in your health fitness program is best.  But, non-weight bearing is still statistically better than being on osteoporotic medication alone.  So if you cannot do weight bearing exercise you can still get significant BMD (bone mass density) benefits from non-weight bearing exercise. And perhaps more importantly, both groups benefited with a better quality of life.

Not on medication– How about weight bearing vs. nonweight bearing exercise if you are NOT on osteoporotic medications; are there benefits?

A review of the existing literature done by Linda Denise Fernandes Moreira, et.al. at the Division of Endocrinology, School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), São Paulo, SP, Brazilthe (2014) condensed the results. Their paper is titled, “Physical exercise and osteoporosis: effects of different types of exercises on bone and physical function of postmenopausal women”.

This summarized the effects of different kinds of aquatic and land exercises on bone metabolism and physical function of postmenopausal women. In all, 60 research papers were reviewed. The information is well presented in a table of various forms of sport exercise and benefits ofnonweight bearing exercises of swimming and aqua aerobics.  The researchers asked:

Will regular swimming help build bones?

Swimmers have good muscles but it is a nonweight bearing exercise and a sport.

Among the studies focusing on aquatic exercise is the research review done by Gómez-Bruton,net.al. (⁵¹), focusing on swimmers’ bone mass, metabolism and structure. “This review paper showed that swimmers and sedentary controls (non-exercisers) have similar bone mass density (BMD) values. But, swimmers had a higher bone turnover than sedentary controls that may result in a stronger structure and consequently in a stronger bone.”

So here we are talking swimmers, not aqua aerobic vertical (standing) exercise. We will look at that shortly…

Take Away— Swimmers have a higher bone turnover than sedentary individuals. That is good, especially if that might lead to stronger bones.

Aqua Aerobics. What about vertical (standing) exercises in the pool?

It is just like anything else– you will get out of it what you put into it.

The reviewed literature recorded bone responses following aquatic exercises in the standing position done by postmenopausal women. “Positive effects on their physical function was observed (⁵³), but a real reduction in fall incidence was not observed among this population”, so concluded Moreira and cols. (⁵). So they designed and conducted a high intensity aquatic exercise protocol, called HydrOS, to look into this. The study included 108 postmenopausal women divided into a Control Group (CG) and an Aquatic Exercise Group (AEG). Both groups received elementary calcium 500 mg/day and cholecalciferol 1,000 IU/day. For 24 weeks, the AEG participated in the aquatic exercise program, whereas the CG remained sedentary. After the program the number of falls and fallers in the CG remained unchanged, whereas in the AEG, the mean number of falls decreased from 2.00 to 0.29, and the number of fallers decreased by 44%.  All neuromuscular variables significantly improved in the AEG: flexibility , ability to stand on one foot, mobility, handgrip strength, strength of back extensor muscles, strength of hip flexor muscles and knee extensor muscles. In the CG, significant improvements in flexibility, ability to stand on one foot, mobility and strength of hip flexors  were observed and could be explained by increasing serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level attributable to supplementation.

In the same study, Moreira and cols. (⁵⁴) evaluated the 24-week effects of a high-intensity aquatic exercise program on bone remodeling markers and bone mass of postmenopausal women. There was a demonstrated improvement in bone formation marker (P1NP) only in the Aquatic Exercise Group (AEG), and although both groups experienced significant improvements in bone resorption, this increase was less considerable in the AEG (15% in the AEG and 29% in the CG  (bone is constantly being broken down by osteoclasts and being rebuilt by osteoblasts throughout our lives, you do not want bone break-down to out pace new bone growth).  This is another example of “use it or lose it”.

These studies show that even though there is less gravity (weight-bearing) in pool exercises, it is possible to stimulate bone metabolism through exercises against the water resistance.  This is especially true if done with maximum speed, wide range of motion, repetitions and high intensity. The results also showed that a high intensity aquatic exercise program can significantly improve body balance and reduce falls.

The authors concluded, “Moderate to intense exercises, performed in a high speed during short intervals of time, in water or on the ground, can be part of a program to prevent and treat postmenopausal osteoporosis”. They further concluded “Although impact exercises are recognized as beneficial for the stimulation of bone tissue, other variables such as muscle strength, type of muscle contraction, duration and intensity of exercises are also determinants to induce changes in bone metabolism of postmenopausal women. Not only bone mass increasing exercises should be recommended; activities aimed to develop muscle strength and body balance and improve the perception of movement should be encouraged to prevent falls and fractures”.

Take Away— Great! Now that we know including aquatic exercise in a health fitness program can help maintain strong bones and even improve bone density.  Here are some general guidelines:

From the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) on physical activity and bone health for elderly adults. We are not certain what their definition of elderly is exactly, but if we take the AARP’s definition that means anyone 50 yrs. and above may be included.

The ACSM recommends that “exercise programs for “seasoned” adults should include weight-bearing endurance and resistance activities aimed at preserving bone mass, and also activities designed to improve balance and prevent falls. The aquatic environment of a pool leads to the development of body balance and muscle strength (⁵), once water waves caused by the persons’ movements challenges the gravity center making it difficult to stay balanced and stable, this stimulates the action of trunk muscles that help to control body balance (⁵³).” So of course exercise that helps maintain balance is a terrific.

The take away: Weight bearing and impact exercise is best for those that can tolerate it, however, non-weight bearing vertical (standing) exercise does help particularly if it is of HIGH INTENSITY. That means it should be somewhat challenging for you. As far as building higher BMD you need Higher Intensity exercise in the pool. Bouncing around and relaxing in the pool will be of little use when trying to build bone. But if you cannot do high intensity aquatic exercise do not give up.  Get out of that lounge chair and get into the pool. As we have seen, there are other factors involved that are also very important. Any exercises that improve muscle tone, coordination and balance are important in preventing falls and thereby avoiding most fractures. Even low intensity aquatic exercise fits this bill with an added level of safety and comfort during exercise, but the more rigorous and quick paced session you can safely tolerate the better. And aquatic exercise is fun. It helps maintain fitness and physical health. That is good for mental health and we all know that is important too.

Want to read this review study? See…

Linda Denise Fernandes Moreira, et.al. 2014. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metab vol.58 no.5 São Paulo July 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0004-2730000003374

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Recent Good News About Alzheimers and Exercise

There is more good news about Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and the benefits of exercise, including swimming and aqua aerobics. Researchers in Germany, the USA, Japan and elsewhere are finding a significant beneficial relationship between exercise and mental performance as it relates to prevention and delay of cognitive decline associated with AD.

Professor Christoph Laske M.D., and his team at the University Hospital of Tübingen, Germany found 70% of the  275 individuals in their AD study, including individuals with genetically driven higher risk of AD, scored higher on mental tests  when they regularly did 150 minutes (2 ½ hours) of aerobic type physical activity per week.  Similar studies are currently being undertaken by various researchers around the world.  These recent studies build upon the work of others dating back about 20 years which have shown general benefits of exercise and mental cognitive test scores.

The bottom line– Leading a healthy active lifestyle which includes 2 ½ hours of exercise per week significantly helps maintain mental function, even for those with a rare genetic disorder placing them at higher risk of AD development.  So, if you are a swimmer or aqua aerobic enthusiast, stay smart and keep up the good work.  This is additional proof that physical activity is good for both body and mind.

Take 2.2 ounce Suit Saver concentrate with you and take a plunge for fitness anywhere.

When you finish taking care of yourself take care of your swimsuit by using SUIT SAVER to get the chlorine out.

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