Low-impact fitness involves exercises that improve agility, flexibility, strength, and stamina without putting stress on the joints. Walking, swimming, yoga, and water aerobics are recommended for everyone, while high-impact exercises like running and jumping rope are not suitable for some people. Stretching programs like yoga and Pilates are also common types of low-impact fitness regimens. Aerobic dancing can also be a low-impact exercise if jerky movements are eliminated or modified.
Low-impact fitness involves exercises that improve agility, flexibility, strength, and stamina without putting stress on the joints the way high-impact fitness regimens do. High-impact exercises include running, jogging, and jumping rope, while low-impact fitness programs employ activities like walking, swimming, and yoga. A general rule of thumb when determining whether an exercise is high or low impact is that during low impact physical exercises, at least one foot is always on the ground.
Exercise of any kind is an essential part of maintaining a healthy mind and body. Moving your muscles and joints increases your heart rate, stimulates blood flow, and increases respiration. Some people, either because they are aging, injured, or have a medical condition, are unable to perform high-impact exercise. Low-impact exercises are generally recommended for everyone, as they don’t tend to stress the body as much as high-impact activities.
Walking is one of the easiest low-impact physical exercises. Walking can be done indoors on a treadmill or instead of a walking DVD, or it can be done outside on a track, sidewalk, or other safe area. Experts often recommend sturdy, comfortable shoes with thick, flexible soles for walking programs. Also, walking with a stride that lands heel-first with the toes pointing forward is generally more effective. Warming up before and cooling down after walking can be accomplished with slow stretching exercises. After a slow, gradual start, fitness experts generally recommend walking 10,000 steps a day. Drinking plenty of water can also help ensure hydration and cushion your joints.
Stretching programs like yoga and Pilates are also common types of low-impact fitness regimens. These exercise programs put little stress on the joints, since they are slow and steady movements and use progressive relaxation techniques. Stretching warms up the muscles and increases circulation to all parts of the body. Yoga helps with balance while Pilates strengthens your core muscles, including your back and abdomen.
Water aerobics classes are another type of low-impact exercise that many people enjoy. Exercising in water helps cushion joints and allows pregnant, overweight, or injured people to exercise freely, more frequently, and with relatively little pain. Adding weights, pool noodles, kickboards, and other devices can increase the benefits of this low-impact physical exercise.
Aerobic dancing can also be a low-impact exercise if jerky movements such as jumping, hopping, and hopping are eliminated or modified. Many aerobic dance DVDs demonstrate the movements of the exercise at high, medium, and low impact levels. Modifying aerobic dance moves so that one foot is always on the ground can turn even a high-impact move into a low-impact exercise.
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