Finding the right exercise is one of life’s great cheat codes. It improves your life in just about every way.
But for many of us, high-impact exercise is at best off-putting, and at worst, harmful. This is where low-impact exercise comes in.
Here, we’ll talk about the benefits, and the range of workouts you can practice, blissfully free of impact on your joints and limbs.
A key differentiator for low impact workouts is that you do them more frequently. Exercises like running and jumping jacks can impact your joints in ways that low-impact workouts do not. You won’t be pounding your knees off pavement on a 60-minute swim, for instance!
This also means, of course, reduced chance of injury.
Exercise has long been associated with improved mental health. As The Mayo Clinic reports: “Regular exercise may help ease depression and anxiety by releasing feel-good endorphins. Endorphins are natural brain chemicals that can improve your sense of well-being.”
The link between exercise and mood is discussed in our blog post about mental health.
Even for low-impact exercises, injuries can still happen. And anyone who’s pulled a muscle can tell you how unpleasant it can be. So, start slowly and work your way to more intense exercises.
Track your progress, if that helps. We have a guide to fitness trackers to help you get started.
Cycling (or biking, if you’re more serious about it) is one of the most beneficial low impact exercises you can do. For outdoor cycling, find a bike path or park to begin with, especially if it’s been a while since cycled on roads alongside cars.
Indoor biking is often more intense, as you can use the stationary bike for low impact HIIT exercises (high intensity impact training).
Cycling, unlike say, running, is very low impact for number of calories you burn. Though your knees get a strong workout, so biking sometimes doesn’t suit those with knee conditions.
HIIT has a deserved reputation for being intense and challenging. It involves short bursts of high-intensity cardio, followed by brief breaks, and repeating the process.
Typical HIIT exercises include jumping jacks and other knee-impacting moves. But an alternative exists that’s high impact, without impacting your joints. Because of the range of movements and exercises on offer, it’s possible to have a low impact but high intensity session. These low impact workouts are sometimes referred to as High Intensity Low Impact Training or HILIT. Examples of exercises you can try in a HILIT session include lunges, squats, and indoor cycling.
This ancient form of exercise has several benefits. Firstly, it can be practiced just about anywhere you can fit a yoga mat, which is why it takes place everywhere from living rooms to city parks.
Also, it’s deceptively versatile, as the exercise can be as challenging or laid back as you want it to be. Thankfully, online yoga classes are commonplace. You can find them on sites like YouTube, or via an online live class.
Quite possibly the physical activity you’re most familiar with, walking is undergoing a resurgence as a fitness pursuit due to its low barrier to entry, popularity during lockdown (which we discussed in our blog about good habits formed during the pandemic) and its low impact on the body.
Additionally, it’s therapeutic, easy on your joints, and has proven to be effective in increasing longevity.
However, Federal guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of aerobic physical activity a week. So, think of walking as a companion to other exercises.
Low impact exercise can help you maintain healthy aerobic fitness while avoiding punishment for your limbs and joints. Remember, exercise can be challenging, but it shouldn’t be damaging.
We have plenty of other blogs on the subject of fitness, including a guide to best food to support physical activity, tips for finding time to exercise, fitness activity trackers, and much more.
And, on the subject of health, don’t forget that you can talk to use today about international health insurance.
