By Mr Kushal Pal Singh, Fitness and Performance Expert, Anytime Fitness
We all know how important it is to stay active and fit in today’s busy life. But what if you have joint pain, an injury, or want to exercise without high impact? Well, these workouts are there for you. These workouts provide all the benefits of cardio without any high-impact stress on your joints.
Benefits of Low-Impact Cardio: First, let’s see some of the benefits of these workouts. As the name suggests, low-impact cardio helps improve your cardiovascular health by increasing the heart rate and circulation of blood in your vessels. And the best thing is, you can do all this without stressing up your joints too much. This way, you are lowering the chances further, for injuries and discomforts which can ultimately help you maintain a long-term fitness routine. Moreover, low-impact cardio exercises are easily customizable as per your fitness level. So, whether you are a beginner or have been working out for a long time, you can always add or reduce weight to your workout. A low-impact cardio workout is suitable for injured people or those who have recently come out of an injury, people suffering from obesity, senior citizens, and even pregnant women.
Exercise Moves to Try: Now, let’s check out some low-impact cardio exercises that you can do at home or in the gym
1. Walking: Walking is one of the simplest yet most effective low-impact cardio exercises. You can walk around your block or on a treadmill in the gym, and it will surely yield you great results. Brisk walking for at least 30 minutes each day will increase your heart rate and circulation of blood, thus giving you all the benefits of cardio.
2. Cycling: Get on the stationary bicycle or cycle around the block and you won’t have to think again about retaining quality fitness. Cycling is another effective workout that is easy on the joints and helps build your endurance.
3. Swimming: Swimming is a great full-body workout and is also an excellent option for low-impact cardio if you have a swimming pool near you. The buoyancy of water takes all the stress off your joints and provides a smooth conducting environment for a great cardio session.
4. Elliptical Training: Elliptical machines provide a great low-impact alternative to running or jogging. They allow you to increase your heart rate and provide a smooth motion without any stress on the joints. Moreover, most of the elliptical machines are equipped with resistance settings which you can increase as you progress through your low-impact cardio workout.
5. Indoor Rowing: Rowing is an effective low-intensity workout that can provide an excellent cardiovascular workout. All you need is a rowing machine to put 86% of your body muscles to use. Yes, you heard it right! That’s the power of a 15-minute session of Indoor Rowing. A fantastic, low-impact cardio workout, Indoor Rowing is perfect for individuals looking to put their heart and muscles to great use.
End Note
In the end, it can be said that low-impact cardio workouts are an effective way to improve your cardiovascular health without any additional stress on your joints. From walking to rowing, numerous low-impact exercises exist for you to choose the one that best fits your needs and workout preferences. So, what are you waiting for? Put on those sneakers, and get into the mood for some low-impact cardio.