Pregnancy and postpartum recovery can change how someone moves, feels, and experiences exercise — but that doesn’t mean fitness has to stop. In fact, the aquatic environment can provide a uniquely supportive space to stay active, build strength, manage changing physical demands, and simply take a little time for yourself. If you missed our Q3 SQUAD meeting, we invited Haylley Pittam, Co-Founder of AREA, to dive deep into the importance of prenatal and postnatal aquatic fitness, sharing practical insights instructors can use to better understand, support, and train participants through every stage of the journey. S'WET™ Instructors can rewatch the entire presentation now on the Quarterly Tab on their Instructor Portal! Here are some of the biggest takeaways from that conversation. Meeting Participants Where They Are One of the most useful messages for instructors was that pregnancy does not automatically mean a participant needs an extremely gentle workout. Some pregnant participants may still want a challenging workout, while others may need a much lower-intensity experience. The aquatic environment allows instructors to adjust speed, intensity, range of motion, rest, and resistance to the individual. Appropriately designed HIIT-style aquatic training can also be an option during pregnancy, depending on the individual and their circumstances. The key is not assuming that every pregnant participant has the same capabilities or goals. Haylley also discussed observable postural changes instructors may notice as pregnancy progresses, including changes in pelvic position, lumbar curvature, head and shoulder alignment, gait, and foot position. These visual cues can help instructors better understand what a participant may be experiencing and adapt movements accordingly. Preparing the Body for Birth — and Beyond! Haylley's presentation reframes prenatal fitness as more than simply “staying active.” Pregnancy and childbirth place substantial demands on the body, so maintaining appropriate cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, endurance, mobility, and body awareness can help participants prepare for those demands. Hyalley highlighted diastasis recti — separation of the large front abdominal muscles along the middle line of the stomach — and the importance of understanding the changes occurring in the abdominal wall during and after pregnancy. We also tackled the needs with postpartum fitness with an introduction to her postnatal programming which intentionally focuses on the mother rather than combining the mother’s workout with a baby-focused class. Haylley's reasoning was compelling: new mothers often have very little time that belongs entirely to them. Providing an hour in which the participant can concentrate on herself, her movement, and her recovery can be extremely valuable. Return-to-pool timing after birth should account for the type of delivery, healing, complications, wounds or stitches, and medical guidance. The discussion emphasized that instructors should not treat postpartum recovery as one-size-fits-all. An Opportunity for Aquatic Fitness Professionals Beyond the physical benefits, Haylley challenged instructors and facilities to consider prenatal and postnatal aquatic fitness as an underserved population and potential gateway into long-term aquatic exercise. Someone may initially enter the pool because she is pregnant, continue through postpartum recovery, and ultimately remain an aquatic fitness participant for years. For facilities and instructors, that creates an opportunity to broaden programming, reach a new demographic, build stronger community relationships, and introduce more people to the benefits of aquatic exercise. Haylley offers Prenatal and Postnatal Aqua Education programs, which each include 17 hours of online learning, assessments, lesson planning, and practical video submissions. Use code SWET26 for a special S’WET™ community discount! Free downloadable flyers: https://aquaticacademy.co.uk/product/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-aqua-class-download/ https://aquaticacademy.co.uk/product/aqua-natal-flyer/ Copyright Disclaimer: All content, including text, images, videos, and other media on this website and blog is owned by Jenni Lynn Fitness and subject to applicable copyright laws and protections. We welcome the use of the information provided for personal, non-commercial purposes. However, you may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or republish any content from this website or blog without prior written permission. We are always open to collaboration and partnerships. If you wish to use any content from this blog, please contact us at JenniLynn@JenniLynnFitness.com to request permission. AI Disclosure: Some photos in our posts may be AI-generated.

Aquatic fitness is more than taking a land-based workout and moving it into the pool. The moment you step into the water, the rules change — and understanding those rules is what separates simply leading exercises from truly knowing how to train people in an aquatic environment. That's why certification matters. A qualified aquatic fitness professional understands that how you move the water matters. We know that an exercise that works on land may — or may not — translate effectively to the pool. It depends on how the movement is adapted, what you're trying to accomplish, and what muscle action you're actually trying to create. Qualified, well-trained instructors will understand the relationship between: gravity and buoyancy, along with resistance, drag, turbulence, speed, surface area, and other properties that make water such a unique and powerful training environment. If you're reading this and you don't know, understand and can explain the concepts above...it might be time to kick-start your continuing education. S'WET™ has a number of resources to help get you started on that journey, including our Turf to Surf workshop which helps both land and aqua instructors gain insight into constructing effective workouts in the water. And there's an important distinction worth making: Aquatic fitness certification is not lifeguard certification. It is not swim instructor certification. And it is not the same as a primary group fitness certification. Each of these serves an important purpose, but they prepare professionals for very different responsibilities. An educated aquatic fitness professional understands exercise science on land and knows how to apply it in an environment where the rules change the second you enter the water. Facilities also play an important role. When they invest in aquatic-specific education for their instructors, they aren't simply supporting professional development. They're raising the caliber of instruction — and ultimately the experience and results — for every participant who steps into that pool. Aquatic fitness is so much more than "a pulse and a land certification." The knowledge matters. The education matters. The certification matters. Refresh your teaching skills by taking one of our virtual workshops below: Copyright Disclaimer: All content, including text, images, videos, and other media on this website and blog is owned by Jenni Lynn Fitness and subject to applicable copyright laws and protections. We welcome the use of the information provided for personal, non-commercial purposes. However, you may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or republish any content from this website or blog without prior written permission. We are always open to collaboration and partnerships. If you wish to use any content from this blog, please contact us at JenniLynn@JenniLynnFitness.com to request permission. AI Disclosure: Some photos in our posts may be AI-generated.

These jams raise your mood — and your heart rate while exercising By Candy Schulman Originally Published in AARP June 05, 2026 Exercise goes with music like fitness goes with health. Runners plug into earbuds. Spin classes blast upbeat songs. Home exercisers move to online video playlists. You might think listening to music while exercising only relieves boredom, but it’s so much more — strong, steady music tempo, known as Beats Per Minute (BPM), has been proven to lift your mood and intensify your focus while increasing performance and endurance. Reprinted with permission. Click here for original article. A study by Harvard Health found that people who listened to music while exercising had slightly faster heart rates, more intense performance benefits and greater enjoyment than those who listened to a podcast or nothing. The songs they chose clocked in at 135 to 142 beats per minute. "Music helps drive energy and set the tone of a cardio workout," says Jenni Lynn Patterson-LaCour, AEA Aquatic Training Specialist and creator of SWET™ (Structured Water Exercise Training). "I love using music to motivate people to push a little harder, but I’ll also lower it at times to focus on form and technique. Once the basics are solid, we can really use the music to build intensity," she says. UH OH! Your water instructor just cancelled class but you're already suited up...What now? Easy! Just grab your Zygo Waterproof Headphones and get in anyway. Workout to your own favorite summertime playlist or stream one of Jenni Lynn's full-length S'WET™ workouts on their app! Zygo Z2 Waterproof Headphones Zygo's new model is a streamlined design with enhanced audio, farther range, longer battery life, lap counting, and on-the-go charging. Stream straight from your phone to the headset to play music, podcasts, audiobooks —any app while you S'WET™. Download the Zygo App for guided audio workouts, a tempo trainer, dynamic leaderboard, and walkie-talkie for live one-way communication. Pairing certain kinds of songs with workout routines can make you feel as upbeat as the music tempo. But beware: In longer, more intense exercise sessions to the beat of high-tempo songs, you might sweat more, your heart rate might increase and you might lose more fluids and electrolytes. The harder you exercise, the more you need to replenish your body with fluids. Patterson-LaCour always gives short water breaks in her 45-minute hydro classes. "Hydrate because you brought it. Hydrate, hydrate," is her motto. Music can also "dampen perceptions of pain and fatigue during a workout, and inspire bursts of effort and endurance," according to Sandee LaMotte in CNN Health’s "The Right Music Playlist Makes Your Workouts More Effective." Studies conclude that although "music can make exercise seem like less effort, it was more beneficial in terms of enhancing physical fitness." Maximum effects were greatest for brisk walking, running, biking and swimming, as opposed to weightlifting and jump roping. In a study by physical experts at Instant Hydration, the most popular workout songs on Spotify are best when used for specific types of workouts. So crank up your beats per minute to have your optimal — and most tuneful — exercise sessions. "Till I Collapse" by Eminem has 2.5 billion monthly streams, Spotify’s most popular workout song. Eminem’s energetic rhythm appears on many gym playlists. At 171.4 beats per minute, this song pairs with running and the most challenging exercises. Run until you almost collapse. "Toxic," by Britney Spears comes in at #2. Her perennial pop hit is perfect for all cardio workouts because of its fast rhythm. If aerobics or dance cardio is your exercise of choice, "Toxic" will spur you on. "Fein," by Travis Scott is the fourth most popular exercise song on Spotify. Its fast pace and a driving deep bass spur you on and is ideal for cycling or steady-state cardio, a consistent routine in moderate intensity for 30 to 90 minutes. "Jimmy Cooks," by Drake pairs with high intensity interval training (HIIT) at a whopping 165.9 beats per minute. Patterson-LaCour has her own personal playlist. "My all-time favorite workout song is 'Maniac' from Flashdance by Michael Sembello. It never fails to get the heart pumping and my class hyped." She also loves "Only Girl in the World" by Rihanna and "Get on the Floor" by Michael Jackson. "Both are great for bringing the energy up and really getting people moving." An essential part of my research was asking two millennial fitness buffs. They always keep me updated on music. Here is their combined playlist: "Show Me How You Burlesque," Christina Aguilera "It’s Raining Men," The Weather Girls "Pump It," Black Eyed Peas "Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves," Cher "Nonstop," Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Any/Everything by Missy Elliott Strong women like Cardi B and the I, Tonya soundtrack Bad Bunny for fun, powerful songs How do you discover how many beats per minute are in your favorite songs? It’s easy enough to do on Spotify by entering the name of a song and quickly discovering the tempo. For example, “Untouchable” by Taylor Swift is a whopping 200 BPM. Some songs start out low but build to groundbreaking beats, like “Thousand” by Moby, which soars as high as 1,015 BPM, a Guinness World Record. Build your own playlist with your selected songs based on BPM. You don’t have to rely on contemporary music. Many songs from the 1950s rocked high in beats, such as "Tall Paul" by Annette Funicello, over 200 BPM. You don’t even have to be in an exercise class to get the health benefits of music. Whenever certain songs like “1999” by Prince pop up on my playlist, I get out of my chair and jump into an impromptu solo in my living room, dancing like it’s 1999. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Candy Schulman’s essays, health, and travel pieces have appeared in AARP, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Next Avenue, Oldster, Parents, Travel & Leisure, among others. She is a creative writing professor at the New School in New York City and a private writing coach. Learn more at candyschulman.com. Because everyone needs a Girlfriend™ Sign up to receive our free weekly newsletter every Thursday. Water workouts just got a major upgrade! Everyone knows the right music can completely change the energy of a workout — and as you read above, now there’s even more research behind it. We’re excited to see Jenni Lynn Patterson-LaCour featured exploring how music can boost mood, motivation, endurance and workout intensity. And when we want to bring that energy into the water, there’s one piece of gear we LOVE: Zygo Waterproof Headphones! With Zygo, you can stream audio straight from your phone while you swim or S’WET™ — whether that’s your favorite high-energy playlist, a podcast, or even a full-length S’WET™ workout in the Zygo app. That means if class gets cancelled, you're traveling, or you simply want to work out on YOUR schedule... grab your Zygo, hit play and GET IN THE WATER. Copyright Disclaimer: All content, including text, images, videos, and other media on this website and blog is owned by Jenni Lynn Fitness and subject to applicable copyright laws and protections. We welcome the use of the information provided for personal, non-commercial purposes. However, you may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or republish any content from this website or blog without prior written permission. We are always open to collaboration and partnerships. If you wish to use any content from this blog, please contact us at JenniLynn@JenniLynnFitness.com to request permission. AI Disclosure: Some photos in our posts may be AI-generated.

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