Finding new and improved ways to include some extra movement into your daily life can go a long way to support your health.
While going to the gym, lifting weights or jogging on the treadmill may be the perfect workout for some, others may need something more gentle and enjoyable.
This is where hot tub exercise comes in.
Not only does it provide the perfect impact-free workout environment, but it also makes recovery easy afterward.
Working out in a hot tub is a great solution for anyone, and if you haven’t tried it before, you may be surprised at how versatile and enjoyable it is.
In this article, you’ll find everything you need to know about hot tub exercise. We’ll be answering one of the most common questions, sharing some amazing benefits, and giving you ten easy hot tub exercises to try.
Let’s dive in.
Can You Lose Weight Exercising in a Hot Tub?
This is possibly one of the most asked questions when it comes to hot tub exercise.
And the answer is quite simple…YES!
Working out in a hot tub, even if it’s only a few exercises each day, can help you lose weight.
While this certainly won’t make up for poor eating habits or a sedentary lifestyle, it can help add some additional movement into your day, boost overall mobility, and give your health a boost.
Not only that, but your hot tub creates the perfect environment for low-impact exercise. This means that you can enjoy many of the benefits of working out on dry land without added stress on your muscles and joints.
Have you ever tried to walk or move around in the water but noticed that you generally move much slower than outside of the water?
This is because the water creates an added source of resistance. So not only does the water create a low-impact environment, but also adds resistance for a more effective workout!
5 Top Benefits of Water-Based Exercise
Hot tub exercise boasts a robust range of benefits, from heart health and mobility to improved recovery.
Here are five of the best benefits you can experience through hot tub exercise.
1. Better Mobility
Mobility is one of the most common positive effects of exercising in a hot tub.
This happens for two main reasons:
- Your muscles are more relaxed
- Your body is better supported
The warmth of the water will help loosen and relax your muscles improving your range of motion and allowing you to move more easily.
The great news is this benefit actually happens without the exercises, so it’s something that everyone can benefit from when in a hot tub and can only be amplified further when exercise is added!
Secondly, the water in the hot tub helps remove some of the weight on your joints through buoyancy.
This helps relieve pressure on your body, giving you the ability to move more easily, and gives your joints time to rest and recover!
2. Burn Extra Calories
While exercise by itself will help you burn calories when doing it in a hot tub, you’ll be scorching calories faster than you would be outside of the water.
Not only are you working against the resistance of the water, but the heat gets your heart pumping faster, resulting in extra calories being shed.
3. Reduced Risk of Injury
This ties back into buoyancy and improved mobility.
As you move through your hot tub exercises, the water will help support your weight, protecting your joints from any excess impact that you would experience outside the water.
Additionally, the increase in mobility, and warmth of your muscles, helps reduce the risk of muscle strains as you move deeper into each exercise, protecting you from injuries.
4. Better Sleep Quality
While simply enjoying an evening soak in a hot tub is a great way to promote better sleep, doing some hot tub exercises can supercharge this benefit.
Working out in water helps you expel more energy, and when paired with warm water, your muscles will be both exhausted and relaxed, preparing you for a good night’s rest.
5. Improved Mental Health and Mindset
Studies have shown that hydrotherapy can have some impressive effects on mental health, and by pairing it with a hot tub, you’ll feel them even more.
Hot tubs provide the ultimate escape from the world, helping calm racing thoughts and soothe anxiety.
When paired with exercise, these effects can be amplified by getting your body moving and supporting the release of serotonin.
Whether you’re enjoying a night of recovery under the jets or are challenging yourself to some new hot tub exercises, you’ll be improving your mental health.
10 Easy Spa & Hot Tub Exercises For Mobility and Weight Loss
When it comes to exercise, it’s important to find ones that you enjoy, so you can increase your rates of success.
Below, you’ll find ten hot tub exercises that could be the perfect addition to your next spa session.
1. Squats
If you want to give your legs a great workout, doing a couple of sets of squats can help.
For this exercise, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and slowly sit back like you’re sitting in a chair.
Then, stand back up!
To make this exercise easier, use one of the hot tub seats to guide you. Slowly sit back until you’re hovering over the seat before standing back up.
2. Push Ups
Doing pushups in the water is a great way to begin building upper body strength for when you want to try them on dry land.
To do a push-up in your hot tub, put your hands on the edge shoulder width apart, and lean your body forward, so you’re at an angle.
Engage your abs, and slowly lower yourself down, keeping your body straight.
Then push yourself back up.
This exercise can be as difficult or easy as your like. Simply adjust the angle of your body and discover the various amounts of strength needed for each one.
3. Tricep Dips
If you want to work out the backs of your arms, this is the perfect exercise.
Using the edge of the hot tub seat, hold yourself above it, and stretch your feet out in front of you.
Then, slowly lower your body by bending your arms before pushing yourself back up.
4. Arm Circles
This is a great mobility exercise for your shoulders and can support healthy joints over the years.
It’s also one of the easiest ones on this list!
Standing up, slowly rotate your arms in a circle, first going forward, then switching to rotate backward.
5. Bicycle Crunch
Bicycle crunches are a powerful ab workout that can also strengthen your lower back as well.
Balancing on the edge of a hot tub seat, pull one of your legs up toward your chest while the other remains out in front of you.
Bring your upper body forward to touch the opposite elbow to your knee.
Then, simply keep going by kicking your legs back and forth as if you were riding a bike.
6. V-Sits
V-Sits are another exercise to target your abs and are similar to a bicycle crunch.
The difference with this exercise is that you’ll be pulling both your feet toward your chest at the same time while you hold yourself on the edge of one of the hot tub seats.
To make this even more challenging, try holding yourself above the hot tub seat.
7. Yoga
Doing yoga in a hot tub is a great way to strengthen the smaller muscles in your body.
As you work to stay balanced, the moving water will make the muscles in your ankles work harder to keep you upright, improving your stability outside of the water.
8. Calf Raises
This is another easy-to-do exercise and only takes a couple of minutes.
Standing up in your hot tub, slowly lift yourself up on your toes, then slowly lower yourself back down.
This will help improve the strength of your calves while also strengthening your ankles.
9. Toe Touches
Toe touches are a good exercise to strengthen your lower abs while improving mobility in your hips.
While standing up, kick your foot up and touch it with the opposite hand. Then, repeat on the other side.
To make this even more challenging for your legs, sit in a squat position as you kick your foot up.
10. Finisher: Stretching
As with any workout, stretching is essential to release the tension in your muscles and decrease any post-workout pain and stiffness.
Better yet, follow up any stretching with a massage in the hot tub seat that targets the muscles you just worked!
Hot Tub Exercises Are Great For Your Health
Including some gentle exercises in your regular evening spa session can be a powerful way to improve your overall health.
You’ll become stronger physically and mentally and help improve your mobility both inside and outside of the water.
Hot Tubs For Sale in Pasadena and Thousand Oaks
If you’re ready to supercharge your fitness routine or simply want to boost your post-workout recovery, adding a hot tub to your backyard is the perfect solution.
The experts at Lifestyle Outdoor are here to help, with a range of industry-leading brands and models along with five convenient locations throughout Los Angeles, finding your dream hot tub will be simple.
Visit the experts at your local showroom today to explore your options, or contact us to learn more.
