The Top 5 Low Impact Ways To Stay Fit
On top of our weight training we still need to work on our cardio. For some this is easier than others, and can include more options to choose from. There are many different reasons some may not be able to do high impact workouts, whatever that reason is, it shouldn't hold you back. There are plenty of low impact ways to exercise and increase your heart rate, some being more effective than others. When you are trying to burn the most amount of calories in a small period of time, doing high impact exercise such as running or HIIT circuits usually make the most sense. However, if you have some type of injury or are not comfortable with doing these types of workouts, the options can be limited.
Here are what I believe to be the Top 5 Low Impact Ways to Stay Fit, if you're someone similar to what I described above give one a try or alternate between them all!..
(that being said, doing variations of cardio is better so we do not plateau.. rather than picking the same activity every time)
1 - Walking
Of course, the most basic and easiest one for most of us to do. I wouldn't say this is the most effective/will burn the most calories but we don't need any equipment or modifications. Walking consistently can help those looking to achieve weight loss if done for long bouts of time almost everyday. To challenge your walking further we can increase our speed and our incline, try walking up hills or setting the treadmill on an incline to increase the heart rate more and challenge your endurance.
2 - Swimming
Swimming is one of the most effective low impact ways to do your cardio, but not always the easiest to access. If you have the setting to swim consistently this will do better than walking, however it is always good to keep variety in your routine. When you are swimming you are actually submerged in water and this can take away certain joint pain effects that can be experienced when out of the water. Weight bearing and high impact activities can often be done when in the water without experiencing pain.
3 - Yoga
Yoga will not only work on our strength and core muscle's but also our flexibility. Yoga is a nice way to work on the bodies core strength and improve our posture, while also loosening tight muscles and relaxing the mind. It may not get the heart rate up as much as the other suggested activities, but there are plenty of different types of yoga that can be done which also incorporate strength training exercise's too.
4 - Kickboxing
If you can't run, kickboxing is going to be your next best thing! Preferably done with equipment, if this is not an option you will want to try with a light set of weights in hands (no heavier than 5's). Kickboxing is also a good way to make our cardio a bit more fun and not do the same thing all the time. Combining different moves makes the time go by quick, and workouts are usually considered as high intensity interval training - meaning they do not need to be done for a long time :)
5 - Cycling
Whether you do it on a stationary bike or outdoors, biking is an effective way to burn calories and work the heart (and legs!). HIIT type of workouts can also be done with cycling or steady state, both being beneficial in their own ways. Cycling is a lot of lower body work which are the biggest muscle's in our bodies - hence the lactic acid burn when doing so. Cycling can still be a bit strenuous on the knees, just make sure you are driving though the heels of the feet.
Rowing, the elliptical, and Zumba are all also other great low impact ways to stay active! Switch through multiple kinds or find a few you enjoy and rotate through those, either way variety and consistency is the key !