Intro H2O
Des Moines, Iowa
What: Intro H2O is a water wellness class offered, previously called Water 101, at Mercy Medical Center's Wellness Center in Des Moines, Iowa. The class will meet each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 4:15-4:45 p.m.
Costs: Participants in this class need to join the Wellness Center ($15) and then pay $2 per class attended. The North Central States Chapter is able to help pay for these fees as a part of our direct financial assistance program. Contact Blaine at 1-800-344-4867, option 2 for more details.
The $15 membership allows participants to use the pool at any time. Click here for information on Mercy's pool pass.
Special notes: Participants need to provide a note from their doctor permitting them to exercise.
Orientation is required before a new member can use the pool, so please call 515-247-3066, extension 5 to sign up for the 20 minute orientation.
Mercy's Wellness Center is wheelchair accessible and has a locker room for people with disabilities. The pool has shallow stairs or a lift chair to enter it and a grab rail all around the inside walls, which participants use for certain exercises. There are flotation belts for those who have difficulty standing, although most people find it much easier to stand and stay balanced in the pool because there's much less gravity to work against. It is not necessary to know how to swim to participate -- the shallow end is 3ft deep, and the deep end is only 5ft. The pool uses a solution of peroxide, not chlorine, to purify the water. The water temperature ranges from 86-90 degrees, and the air temperature in the pool area is less than that, so people with MS generally are able to exercise in the pool without having heat-related symptoms.
About the instructor: Kate is an RN and has over 30 years of experience exercising while living with MS. She "ran" in 1 mile, 3 mile, and 5 mile races on crutches. She completed a 6.2 mile National MS Society sponsored race in a wheelchair in 1983. Kate played wheelchair basketball for four seasons, did a half-marathon (13.1miles) in a racing wheelchair in 1986, and trained for and completed the Des Moines Marathon (26.2miles) in the custom-made racing wheelchair she had built to celebrate her 50th birthday in 2002.
She began participating in water aerobics classes at Mercy's pool about 14 months ago, and was hired this past August as a substitute water exercise instructor. She teaches seven levels of water exercise classes at the Wellness Center, and has put together the Intro H2O class to accommodate people with MS, chronic pain, fatigue, and spinal surgery. But anyone who wants to learn how to exercise in shallow water is welcome to attend. It will be a low intensity level of exercise, focused on stretching, toning, balance, and endurance.
For more information, contact Mercy's Wellness Center at 515-247-3066.
Date: Tuesdays
Time: 4:15 PM - 4:45 PM
Repeat every week until 12/31/2010