Everyone has a “kryptonite” activity or workout.
The one that paralyzes you into inaction for no good reason.
The one that no matter how you much you try to psych yourself up, because you really do love a good workout, you find a reason not to do it.
For years my kryptonite workout has been getting into a gym’s public pool and doing some form of an aquatic exercise.
I prefer athletic pursuits with water in its solid form – figure skating and skiing to be exact. I did some competitive diving for a time but after getting bruised from hitting the water at the wrong angle one too many times, I gracefully glided back to the frozen surface in a walled oval and never looked back.
But now the injuries sustained over the years have reared their ugly heads all at once. And you’ll never guess what the physical therapist recommended.
Yep, water workouts.
I was told to get into the pool and do a low impact workout so that I could easily get a full range of motion without aggravating, well, everything. And I thought about it and thought about it and…you get the picture. It just didn’t happen because, let’s be honest, I didn’t want to do it.
And since my overall fitness didn’t depend on it I could rationalize why it wasn’t a top priority; but it should have been as part of maintaining my long-term health.
Then, out of the blue, I get an email from Matt at Underwater Audio asking if I would review their waterproof iPod, which was interesting because Words to Sweat by isn’t known for its product reviews.
And I thought about asking if he was in cahoots with my physical therapist because if there was one thing that would get me into the pool, it would be the ability to listen to my own music while I did my workout.
Because I love music.
Is It Really A Waterproof iPod?
So you’re probably asking yourself what I did when I first heard about the waterproof iPod: What did they do to make it waterproof and ensure the device will last?
What Underwater Audio has done is created a “level of waterproofing through several proprietary steps that ensure [their] waterproofing material reaches into the smallest of cavities, covering each wire, circuit and component.”
Even after reading the above quote from their site and additional information about their proprietary process, I was still skeptical. After all, we know immersing electronics for an extended period of time in massive amounts of water is not normal. I keep tops on all of my water cups and bottles just in case they tip over and spill even a little bit on my phone or computer.
So the thought of submerging myself in the pool with this waterproof iPod had me skeptical and giddy at the same time. I therefore graciously accepted Matt’s offer because I had to test this device firsthand.
Water Workouts Really Can Rock
When the little white box arrived, I let it sit overnight before opening it. The flood gates would open (possibly literally) once I cut the tape and pushed open the flap.
But the next day, curiosity got the best of me. So I cut open the box and saw Matt kindly sent the waterproof iPod bundle which includes: the waterproof iPod, the short-cord swimbuds, and the iFloatie Open Water System (a fun little buoy that allows you place the iPod into a little case and use a carabiner to attach to anything with an appropriate loop).
The waterproof iPod looks like any other shuffle you could purchase except for the telltale Underwater Audio logo on the top of the box. So I went straight to iTunes and created a water workout playlist that was exactly 30 minutes giving me a natural end to my time in the pool.
Then I gathered the basic necessities: swim suit, towel, and water shoes, and threw them into a bag so that they’d be ready to go to the gym the following day.
When getting ready to go into the pool, I found that using the waterproof iPod is straightforward as the instructions say. The only added step in comparison to the standard iPod is that it’s best to place a small dab of petroleum jelly around the ends of the ear buds to create a watertight seal in your ear.
After that, step into the pool and start your laps or do some moving and grooving – which I did for the whole 30 minutes switching between exercises with a pool noodle or hand buoys, or running in place and the workout seemed to fly by. In fact, the only reason I got out of the pool is because there is a time limit and someone was waiting for a lane.
Then I took a super brief shower (California is in a drought after all) with the waterproof iPod still attached to my swim shirt. When I detached it from my swim shirt, aside from a couple of leftover droplets you’d never know it had been in the water. So I continued the fun by attaching it to my t-shirt and walking out of the gym planning next week’s visit to the pool with hop in my step and a smile plastered on my face.
The verdict: With a waterproof iPod, water workouts really CAN rock.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”