You can engage in a workout that is good for your cardiovascular system, but at the same time, gentle on your joints. Low-impact exercises are often mistaken as being less intense than high-impact exercises, but this is not always the case. Impact and intensity aren’t always synonymous. High-impact sports like running or playing basketball get your heart pumping, but can take a toll on your knees, ankles and feet.
By contrast, a low-impact, high-intensity exercises can constitute a whole body workout but protect your joints and extremities from major injury.
A great example of this is swimming. Swimming is one of the best whole-body workouts, it utilizes all the muscle groups and is excellent for toning as well as burning fat. However, exercising in water takes virtually all of the pressure off of your joints, so you are eliminating the impact, but not the intensity.
Walking counts as a low-impact because much less force is exerted on the extremities than when engaging in a high-impact activity like running. This makes walking an ideal low-impact exercise for those seeking an easy workout routine that will get them in shape without the risk of injuring the joints.
Workouts that involve a lot of stretching, such as yoga and Pilates, are additional examples of low-impact exercises that are joint-friendly but still burn fat and make you limber and strong. Depending on your overall fitness level, you may also wish to try low-impact exercises such as recreational cycling or cross-country skiing.
Of course, consulting with a doctor is recommended before starting on any new workout regimen, including a low-impact one. Low-impact exercises are ideal not only for maintaining general health, but as a rehabilitative tool for individuals recovering from an injury or extended illness.