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It is always tough when you have a business that can only operate in places that are shut, and that is exactly the position we found ourselves in with Covid-19. With all the restrictions in place we thought long and hard about how we could be a little more creative with our business model to get things moving. Finally, the question came up, ‘why can’t we do some sessions in the Bay?’ So, on a brilliantly warm morning we tested this theory and took the bikes down to the beach. The water was perfect, just like a lake, the sun started to creep up and almost instantly we knew we needed to do whatever it took to start operating out of there. It took a few weeks of phone calls, emails, arranging permits and making some small modifications to the bikes, but here we are with Aqua Cycling Victoria, By the Bay.

30-minute sessions are run in the mornings all week down at Bonbeach, at the end of Williams Grove. These fill up quickly, especially over the warm weekends, so make sure you book in to secure your spot. We only take two people at a time so book with a friend and we will put you together, or if you are on your own we will introduce you to new friends!

‘What should I bring?’ and ‘where can I change?’

…are the two most frequent questions we get. Public bathrooms and showers are available near the Williams Grove Carpark if you want to change before or after your session. We recommend a pair of tights/leggings/cycling shorts, and a pair of aqua shoes or an old pair of runners, things you don’t mind getting wet and you can exercise in. Otherwise just a towel and a water bottle, and maybe a big jumper if you are worried about the cold!

See you on the beach!

We understand there is quite a bit of trepidation about Covid-19 and being able to attend fitness classes with equipment. We all want to make sure we are doing the right thing, so just like everyone else Aqua Cycling Victoria is taking all the necessary steps to ensure our customer and employees health and safety through these unprecedented times. Aqua Cycling Victoria has a Covid plan in place to ensure contact tracing if we are alerted to a case at one of our sessions. We are also ensuring we do everything we can to provide a clean and safe environment for the classes.

It seems like the best environment to operate, is our businesses natural environment. Studies have observed that transmission of Covid-19 through aquatic settings is extremely rare, and that a good amount of sunshine plays a role in preventing the spread. Even the Victorian government recommends moving as much business as possible outside in the fresh air. So, for a business that is based in the water, and outdoors, we really could not be better placed.

Of course, though we are taking extra steps to make sure everyone is safe. So, see below a quick infographic to demonstrate our steps for Covid Safety.

References

Sagripanti, Jose-Luis and C. David Lytle (2020) Estimated Inactivation of Coronaviruses by Solar Radiation With Special Reference to COVID-19. Photochemistry and Photobiology. 96, 731–737.

Young Jae Lee, Je Hyoung Kim, Byeong-Sun Choi, Jang-Hoon Choi, and Young-Il Jeong (2020) Characterization of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Stability in Multiple Water Matrices. Journal of Korean Medical Science. 35(36), e330.

COVID Safe Plan: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/covidsafe-plan

We always seem to get the same question asked in different ways. “Should I be doing this in warm water or cold water?”, “My pool does/doesn’t have a heater, is that going to be OK?” “It’s winter, should I be outside in my pool or inside at a public pool?” If only there were straightforward answers to all these. The simplest thing is it does not really matter. Depending on your age, your goals, or your capabilities, cold or warm water have varying degrees of advantage.

As an example, warm water is better for rehabilitation, however, this does not mean cold water is bad. This is why a proper answer to this is difficult, so we’ve created an easy reference for the advantages of both cold and warm water.

Over the last 10+ years aqua cycling has become an increasingly popular fitness activity in Europe and the USA. As such it has drawn the attention of Exercise and Sports scientists, Health and Medical scientists and many others. The benefits of aquatic exercise and the benefits of spinning or cycling for people with ankle, knee, hip or back injuries or pain have been discussed since the 70’s but adding these two things together is still relatively new. However, there has been several key discussions about the benefits and advantages of Aqua Cycling over traditional aquatic exercise, and traditional spinning/cycling.

The key benefits of Aqua Cycling are its low impact, low risk environment coupled with key muscle toning. In general land-based exercise therapy has been shown to have a positive impact in improving physical functioning in people with knee osteoarthritis, and other rehabilitative knee or hip related issues. Spinning exercises, as an example, is a popular and beneficial land-based exercise to improve mobility and functionality of people with knee and hip related issues, due to the reduced physical impact of the exercise. The challenges with land-based exercise is that even the smallest physical impact can cause pain and therefore there are limitations on the range of exercises, even spinning is limited to in-saddle positions to prevent excessive weight bearing. Aquatic exercises, due to the buoyancy of the water, reduce weight bearing problems and provide significantly more possibilities. Aqua Cycling, as an alternative to spinning, allows out of saddle or less seated positions, and therefore additional exercise alternatives which greatly improve physical functioning.

The combination of water immersion and cycling movements help to reduce joint pain significantly. Simple immersion in water increases blood flow and oxygen delivery to the skin and muscles, which helps your body naturally deal with pain affected areas. The water also adds slight pressure, reducing the chance of joint swelling, similar to compression clothing, these both add to muscle relaxation and pain relief. Adding Aqua Cycling activates the calf-muscle pump, the soleus muscles, more effectively than other aquatic exercises which improve blood flow and help to reduce pain and inflammation further. Lastly the buoyancy of the water not only reduces the direct pain, as discussed previously, but also lends to maintaining stability while pedalling. This allows for greater support of the back and hip areas and reduces the chances of jerky movements, leading to further damage of the joints.

Aqua Cycling is truly a comprehensive approach to rehabilitation and an excellent way to ensure full functionality without all the pain. So, when we say it is low impact, low risk and for fitness, rehabilitation and fun, we truly mean it.

See References:

Williams, Haley. “Aqua cycling a cool trend for fitness and rehabilitation.” Health Times. Published: 19-03-2019. Accessed: https://healthtimes.com.au/hub/exercise-physiology/13/news/hw/aqua-cycling-a-cool-trend-for-fitness-and-rehabilitation/3965/?fbclid=IwAR29MWNB7SAMTfUlNpHGLw_Y1CwIcZzr-7h7omJ7UkOY_FSuhNRlj9IVFVo#:~:text=According%20to%20Ms%20Swan%2C%20aqua,circulation%20and%20facilitates%20fat%20elimination

Rewald, S., Mesters, I., Lenssen, A.F. et al. Effect of aqua-cycling on pain and physical functioning compared with usual care in patients with knee osteoarthritis: study protocol of a randomised controlled trial. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 17, 88 (2016).

Rewald, S., Lenssen A.F., Emans, Pieter. et al. Aquatic Cycling Improves Knee Pain and Physical Functioning in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 101, 8 (2020) pp 1288-1295.

Rewald, Stephanie (2017). Knee Osteoarthritis and Aquatic Cycling, Development and evaluation of an exercise programme. Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Department of Epidemiology, Maastricht University, Netherlands.