Low Impact Workout: Everything You Need To Know

Posted on January 21, 2021

If you’re looking to get started on a new workout, return to physical activity after an injury or strain, or just want to pivot to a more long-term fitness goal, low impact workouts and activities can be a great way to go. You have many options for personalizing your low impact workout. Several unique and exciting benefits come with a low-impact workout that you just won’t find anywhere else.

Before you get started on your next low impact workout, it’s a good idea to explore your options, plan your fitness intentions, and determine the best path to achieve your health and wellness goals in the long and short-term. You may even want to speak to a fitness professional to find the right methods and workouts to fit your needs. Here are a few things you’ll want to consider when it comes to low-impact activities.

What Is A Low Impact Workout?

A low impact workout is a form of physical activity that provides the same level of exercise and movement but without the strain on your joints and muscles. For example, a high-impact workout would be running a marathon or doing burpees and squats. By comparison, a low-impact workout has a reduced amount of weight involved, meaning fewer body-weight challenges.

Don’t let the name fool you, however. Low impact workouts can be performed at any level, from the very slow and steady to high-intensity and seriously sweat-inducing. You can find many different types of low impact activities and workouts, from swimming to yoga to outdoor elliptical movement, so picking out a low-impact workout that fits your lifestyle and fitness goals is fun and easy.

What Are the Benefits Of Low Impact Workout?

There are many great reasons to consider following a low impact workout plan over more high-impact and heavy lifting methods. If you’re on the fence about whether or not low impact activity is the right option to fit your needs, here are a couple of things that you’ll want to consider.

Improve Strength and Burn Fat

It may seem counterintuitive, but low impact activities are great for building strength and burning fat. Because you’ll be developing strong muscles over time, they’re more effective and more likely to last, over muscles that come from quick growth, which can disappear just as fast.

Depending on what activities are most interesting to you, you can build muscles in your shoulders, arms, legs, and core with ease. You can also start boosting your metabolism and improving your stamina with daily workouts that only leave you the good kind of sore.

Reduced Strain On Bones And Joints

The biggest benefit of low impact activity is the reduced amount of strain it puts on your joints, particularly on your knee and ankle joints, which can become susceptible to damage, strain, and injury over time.

Individuals who cannot or choose not to put extreme pressure on their bodies during workouts can use low impact activity to get a workout that improves their health and makes them feel great without worrying about the low and short-term implications.

That makes this kind of low impact activity a really great option for women who are pregnant and fitness enthusiasts looking to return to regular workouts after an injury or strain. It’s also a good way for older athletes to work out with peace of mind since the bones become more brittle and prone to breakage as we age. When we reduce the amount of pressure on our bones and joints, we develop physical activity and daily movement regimen that we can continue to enjoy for years to come.

Lower Blood Pressure And Risk Of Diseases

Getting regular physical activity is one of the best ways to lower blood pressure and reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular conditions and other diseases like diabetes. One of the reasons that low-impact activities are so beneficial for the heart and effective at reducing the risk of future health concerns is that they’re fun and exciting and easy to do regularly.

You can scale up your low impact activities and workouts, engage in daily movement with friends, and explore lots of unique options that draw your attention. The more movement you do every week, the happier and healthier your whole body will be.

You Can Do More Activities And For Longer

You have a wide range of low impact activities and workouts to pick from, and depending on the level of intensity you focus on, you can enjoy more of those activities and for longer. Low impact movement can be as simple as a walk around the neighborhood or a hike to watch the sunset, which means you can continue to enjoy the things you love most while getting fit and staying healthy.

Because of the long-term-focused nature of low impact movement, you’ll be building your endurance and stamina, which can then help out in other sports and activities.

It Helps You Become More Flexible and Improves Balance

Some of the best low impact activities are workouts like yoga, dance, and stretching, but even higher intensity workouts help you to become more flexible and improve your balance. This can be intrinsically helpful, as flexibility helps to protect your body from injuries, reduces pain, improves your strength, and boosts self-esteem and happiness.

If you’re looking to take all the great benefits from your low impact activities to other sports or workouts, flexibility and balance are sure to be huge assets.

It Balances Well With High Impact Workouts

You can practice low impact activities on their own to great benefit or combine them with other high-impact activities for a well-balanced and full-body fitness plan that fits your goals and needs. Low impact activities are great for rest days and can build strength and improve flexibility in ways high impact activities won’t do alone. Combining different methods can be a reliable way to achieve full-body health and strength.

It Helps You Become More Flexible and Improves Balance

Of course, there are great emotional and mental benefits that come with any type of workout. When you practice low impact activities, there’s a slower and more engaged process that boosts self-esteem, improves confidence, and leaves you feeling happy and positive.

Low impact workouts are often more connected between the emotional and the physical, which means there’s a lot of opportunity to grow and strengthen both together.

Is An Elliptical Machine Low Impact?

One of the reasons an elliptical machine is such a great way to boost your activity level and get in your daily workout is because it is low impact. By not picking your feet up when you move your body, you’re reducing the pressure and strain on your knees and ankles while still burning serious calories, building muscle, targeting areas for fat burn, and increasing strength.

An elliptical can provide a comprehensive full-body workout, but you can also target specific areas, like arms and shoulders, your glutes and leg muscles, and even your core. And you’ll do it all without worrying about the effect of your daily exercise on your bones.

If you’re interested in an outdoor elliptical, you’ll have the added core workouts from steering and controlling, plus the benefit of getting out in the sunshine and fresh air.

Which Low Impact Workout Should I Try?

Try them all if you like. Whether you’re interested in swimming, walking, or yoga, you’ll get the health and fitness benefits of low impact activity without the potential complications or injuries. You can target specific muscle groups, train for long-term activity, and focus on flexibility and balance, depending on your daily workout.

An elliptical machine makes a good low impact option because it’s variable and able to be used for many different types of exercises and activities. You can also sneak in a quick workout with interval training and resistance that fits into your busy schedule with ease.

Summary

There are lots of really great low impact activity and workout options available to you and many reasons to consider adding low impact to your fitness plans and goals. It’s also an excellent option for fitness enthusiasts who can’t engage in high impact activities, like women who are pregnant or those who are overcoming past injuries that want to get back to daily exercise without worry.

Explore all of your options, like an elliptical or outdoor elliptical machine, which can provide excellent low impact activity on your terms and allows you the opportunity to get out in the sun for your daily movement.

Whatever activity is most appealing to you, there are many physical health and mental health benefits to trying out low impact workouts, like improved endurance and stamina, reduced risk of disease and health complications, protected bones and joints, and more. Find the right low impact activity to fit your needs and goals and start building up a sweat today.

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