Top 10 Reasons to Add Low-Impact Exercise to Your Routine

Although low-impact exercise is a part of everyday life, people tend to set it aside in exchange for high-impact exercise during their workouts. High-impact exercise is demanding on your bones, joints, and body. Fortunately, there are other ways to keep your muscles and mind strong besides exercising at 100 miles per hour. Balance out your intense workouts with low-impact exercise.

Low-impact exercises

• Walking
• Yoga
• Swimming
• Cycling
• Pilates
• Golf

High-impact exercises:

• Running
• Sprinting
• Sports such as football, basketball, soccer, tennis
• Jump Rope
• Running Stairs
• HIIT Training
• Plyometrics

Both high and low-impact exercise keep your heart healthy. For the best results you should incorporate a little bit of both into your routine.

Here are the top 10 reasons to add low-impact exercises to your routine.

1. Better for your joints

Since low-impact exercise is less demanding on your joints, it will ensure that you are able to move your body more as you age. These exercises will make you feel good inside and out!  

2. Keeps you motivated

Low-impact exercises are less demanding. For this reason, they will keep you motivated to exercise more frequently. These are exercises you’ll be able to repeat with less soreness.

3. Works well with high-impact exercises

When you use a mixture of both high and low-impact exercises, your body gets both ends of the spectrum. Both of these types of exercises help make your body stronger. This is known as cross-training.

4. Helps prevent injury

Incorporating a mixture of both high and low-impact exercises can be a great way to keep your muscles, mind, and bones healthy. If you are prone to injury, it is encouraged that you don’t do as much high-impact exercise. A low-impact exercise is a great option for those with joint pain.

5. Calms your mind

Exercise is often used as an outlet to free your mind. While hard workouts may distract you from the many thoughts running through your head, low-impact exercise may actually help you work through these thoughts. A morning walk or yoga class will help you work through your to-do list for the day as well as ideas and thoughts you know need attention.

6. Improves heart health

Both high and low-impact exercise is great for your cardiovascular health. If you keep this a priority in your life, it will ensure that you stay active and healthy for many, many years to come!

7. Increases strength

Exercise can improve mental and physical strength. Your muscles, bones, and mind will benefit much more than you think they will if you slowly begin incorporating exercises into your daily routine. Low-impact exercise will do this as much as high impact exercise, but low-impact exercise will take longer to see results.

8. Weight Loss

Many people exercise because it makes them feel good and helps them stay healthy. Another component to exercise is weight loss. People can see weight loss when participating in either high or low-impact exercise.

9. No gym equipment required

Low-impact exercise is accessible because you don’t need a gym membership to go on a walk or bike ride. This is an advantage because it proves that exercise doesn’t need to be expensive. It can be free! This will also hold you accountable because there is no excuse not to be able to do it.

10.  Improves quality of life

Exercise can make you happier, healthier and give you more energy. These are all things people strive for elsewhere but can find through exercise. These activities can be helpful for not only your physical routine, but also your mental health.

Anyone can benefit from low-impact exercise, even those who may be overweight, pregnant, elderly, and those who are prone to injury. I encourage you to find an exercise you love and get excited about doing. This is when you know you will find the most success physically and mentally.

Just as everyone is fueled by food differently, people also respond to specific types of exercise better than others. While it may take some trial and error to discover what works best for you and which types of exercise are your favorite, I would also recommend consulting with a doctor. Your doctor will be able to give you advice about the best types of exercise for you, specifically.

I like to move my body every day. Whether that be walking or running, swimming or cycling, it is so beneficial to move! I challenge you to try it, too.