Written by Grace Volpe
When thinking about exercise and fitness, many people automatically turn to high impact exercise, often based around running or jumping, movements that put a lot of force on the body. However, low impact workouts, such as pilates, yoga, Total Body Resistance Exercise (TRX) and strength training, have also shown to be just as impactful and beneficial to the body.
What is low impact exercise?
Low impact exercise incorporates movement that minimizes stress and strain on the body. In comparison to high impact exercise, which can cause significant strain on the body, due to the repetitive pounding and jarring movements from running and jumping.
Intensity vs Impact:
When people hear the phrase “low impact”, many assume it is synonymous with low intensity, however this is not the case. Intensity and impact are separate variables of exercise. Low intensity refers to the level of energy exerted or effort during exercise, it is a measure of how hard you are working your body. While low impact, refers to the amount of stress placed on your joints during exercise. Thus, low impact workouts with high intensity can be an effective method of reaching fitness goals.
Benefits of Low Impact Exercise:
Cardiovascular Health:
Cardiovascular health is a crucial aspect of your wellbeing, and is directly linked to your quality of life. Poor cardiovascular health can lead to complications including heart attacks, stroke, as well as cholesterol and blood pressure issues. Alternatively, good cardiovascular health can promote longevity and improve overall health.
Low impact workouts are a super beneficial way of improving cardiovascular health. These workouts increase blood flow and strengthen the heart muscle, two aspects that contribute to improving cardiovascular health.
Joint Care:
High impact workouts, such as running, burpees and jumping jacks, can cause high stress on joints and possibly muscle strains due to the forceful landings and higher recovery demands of the activities. On the other hand, low impact workouts put minimal strain on your joints, greatly reducing the risk of joint or muscle strains. Due to the low strain on joints, this makes low impact workouts perfect for those with arthritis or other joint issues. The decreased strain on joints is also an impactful method of reducing the possibility of injury.
Weight Loss:
Low impact workouts are very effective methods of exercise in regards to weight loss. Low impact workouts allow you to engage multiple muscle groups, helping to build muscle mass and burn calories. Since low impact workouts are easier on the body, it makes them a more sustainable method of fitness, and an effective method of exercise that can be implemented long term.
Low impact workouts are a highly beneficial form of exercise to implement into your life, with improvements to cardiovascular health, joint care and wealth being some of the perks. Low impact workouts are perfect for anyone, because of the high accessibility to people of all ages and ranges of fitness abilities.