It just keeps going

The Hanna Miner Memorial Recreation Center was built in 1984 by the Carbon County Coal Company. It was state of the art at the time with racquetball courts, basketball courts, weight room and a pool that was just shy of being an Olympic size pool.

The pool became the center of attention not only to swimmers who wanted to do laps or kids that wanted to dive and go down the water slide, but it was important to a group of people who wanted to try a new thing. It was called water aerobics. This was during a time synchronized swimming, now known as artistic swimming since 2017, had been introduced at the 1984 Olympics and pools were being looked at as places to try water aerobics.

Water aerobics is excellent for losing weight. It provides a good cardio routine and which is very important for weight loss. The water resistance further enhances weight-loss efforts.

Water aerobics requires water-immersed participants. Most water aerobics is in a group fitness class setting lasting for about an hour. The classes focus on aerobic endurance, resistance training and creating an enjoyable atmosphere. Water aerobics is beneficial to a multitude of participants because the density of the water allows easy mobility for those with arthritis, obesity and other conditions.

Further, it is an effective way for people of all ages to incorporate aerobics and muscle-strengthening into their weekly exercise schedule.

The benefits of water resistance training include the activation of opposing muscle groups for a balanced workout. The push and pull of the water allows both increased muscle training and a built in safety barrier for joints. In fact, before water aerobics, injury therapy used the benefits of water. Water also helps to reduce lactic acid buildup.

It is easy to understand, with all the benefits of water aerobics, a class was started when the pool at the Hanna recreation center opened.

Current members of the aerobic class that meets every weekday, when possible, can trace the class back more than 35 years, but there is no one from the original group.

Brenda Gregory, a longtime resident of Hanna said the classes were going on before her time when she was the head lifeguard of the pool.

"I began the arthritis water class about 2004, as a way to help myself and others in our community," Gregory said. "I am proud that so many have benefited from the classes and that it has continued even after I left the center." Gregory still attends classes, although she has turned into a snowbird and is only seen in the pool during the summer.

Dorla Baker, who is often the leader of the class, said the exercise does help with arthritis but it also benefits those who come to the class in other ways. "I like the exercise, but I also enjoy the friendships which spring up," Baker said. "I have been here 17 years. I remember when Mary Wilmoth ran the classes, but when she left, we have just sort of taken over".

Newer members of the class are glad the class is going on ."If I wasn't coming to this, I would be stiff as a board," Chris Carns said. "I need the exercise to get rid of my huffing and puffing. Plus I love the water. I could be in there all day."

What makes this class special is that the class has been continuously going for at least 35 years. It is certainly the longest ongoing water aerobics class in Carbon County, if not the state. Cheyenne has a YMCA that has been offering the class for some years, but the center had serious remodeling done and the water aerobic classes were probably canceled during this time.

Whether the Hanna water aerobic class is the longest continuous running in the state or not, it is valued by the residents who use it. Doing water aerobics five times a week will yield the best results, while also leaving plenty of time for your body to rest and relax between classes.

Water has greater resistance than air which means walking in water requires more effort and ultimately burns more calories than walking on land. Expect to burn between 400 and 500 calories per hour in a water aerobics class, according to the Aquatic Exercise Association. They suggest 12 weeks of water aerobics, performed twice a week in a real-life context, seems to benefit strength, body composition and blood pressure of adults, but is insufficient to alter cardio-respiratory fitness and lipid profiles.

In addition, aquatic exercise should lower the blood pressure of subjects with hypertension.

Another benefit to water exercise is the cooling effect of the water on the system. The average temperature is around 78 to 82 degrees F in a fitness pool and these temperatures will force the body to burn calories to stay at homeostasis while also maintaining a cool, comfortable atmosphere. Exercise in water can also prevent overheating through continuous cooling of the body.

Elderly are more prone to arthritis, osteoporosis and weak joints, therefore water aerobics is the safest form of exercise for these conditions. The water also provides a stable environment and prevents injury.

"I think more people should take advantage of what this pool has to offer," Baker said. "Whether we are the longest continuous water aerobics class or not in the state, there is a reason so many people have been coming to it the years that they have, it is because it is good for you."