Can You Be Fit and Healthy With Low-Impact Exercises?

“Life is a marathon, not a sprint.” – Phillip C. McGraw

Exercise doesn’t have to be a rigorous feat to make significant changes in your body. You can still reap the benefits of exercise while doing activities that are more enjoyable than it is exhausting.

One way this can be achieved is through low-intensity training. However, is it enough? Can you be fit and healthy with low-impact exercises? Yes – and yes.

Any type of physical activity helps in burning off calories, building stamina, and strengthening muscles. When it comes to fitness, consistency matters more than quick gains.

In this fast-paced world, some people never seem to have enough time or energy to workout. Some don’t have the means to employ a personal trainer or go to the gym.

Add in the worries about one’s fitness level, making the concept of exercise a daunting task.

But there are many ways to stay active and live a fit and healthy lifestyle without exerting too much time and effort. However, lesser effort doesn’t mean lesser efficiency.

Low-impact exercises aren’t just fashioned for injured people or the elderly. It can also be used by athletes and fitness buffs as an alternative to high-intensity training.

Doing so allows them to maintain a certain fitness level, as well as provide added variety in their fitness routines.

Low-Impact Exercises Can Be Incorporated In Your Everyday Routine.

Learn how to live longer and healthier with optimum fitness routine. Join FREE Training Now!

Among the most basic forms of low-intensity exercises is walking. Aside from being beginner-friendly, it can have numerous health benefits while demanding minimal effort.

For example, taking your dog out for a walk, using the stairs instead of an elevator, walking around local shops, running errands, going for a morning stroll in the park, and many others.

To make walking even more enjoyable, you can choose to invite companions, may it be with friends, a significant other, or family members.

Mothers that are often too tired and busy to go to the gym can walk their toddlers or babies in a pram as a type of bonding moment.

Indeed, walking can be viewed both as an exercise and a leisure activity, it helps keep you fit and healthy by building your endurance, which leads to better cardiovascular fitness.

Cycling is also considered one of the easiest forms of workout to incorporate into your daily routine.

You can ride a bicycle while running errands or going places that are too far to walk, all while burning calories and improving your overall balance and coordination.

If you don’t find it inconvenient to occasionally opt out from driving a car or motorcycle, cycling is a good option to consider.

Habitual cycling can help lower one’s body fat, which allows you to maintain a healthy body weight.

Like many other physical activities, it also helps increase metabolism; not to mention the added fulfillment of being able to help the environment in your own little ways through lowering your carbon footprint.

Would you like to learn how to transform your body with exercising only 30 min a WEEK? Join this FREE Masterclass Now!

Improve Your Physical and Mental Health Through Pilates and Yoga.

Pilates is a low-impact workout that gained traction mainly from celebrities and fitness vloggers. However, there’s more to pilates than the hype it’s been getting.

This type of workout focuses on improving core strength and helps with full-body flexibility, as well as mental relaxation.

In fact, Pilates is a popular form of recreational activity in rehabilitative settings. It provides a consolidative fitness experience that sets it apart from other workouts.

Some popular celebrities that have included Pilates in their fitness routine are Lucy Liu, Miley Cyrus, David Beckham, Sylvester Stallone, and Sofia Vergara.

It hardly matters whether you’re an older adult or considerably new to fitness. Due to the wide variety of exercises under Pilates, this type of workout can be adjusted based on your fitness level and needs.

Yoga and Pilates may share a lot of similarities. But one key difference between these two exercises is that yoga is geared more towards increasing joint flexibility, while Pilates focuses on muscle strengthening.

Yoga is a low-impact exercise that benefits both the mind and body, therefore making it an effective combatant against depression and anxiety.

Mental wellness is an indispensable part of staying fit and healthy. Without having a healthy mind, others might find it hard to stay focused and motivated to do everyday tasks.

Want to learn Yoga from Cecilia? Join Mindvalley membership today!

Low-Impact Training Is Enjoyable and Can Be Easily Done at Home or Outdoors (no gym membership required).

Dancing is an effective yet fun activity that can be enjoyed by almost everyone. It can help improve one’s cardiovascular health, endurance, and motor fitness; not to mention the added benefit of meeting new friends, given that dancing is a great way to get that extra confidence boost in social settings.

Dance shows the value of movement and fitness in more ways than one, as well as allowing you to express yourself while reaping the benefits of an enjoyable workout.

However, despite dancing being one of the most popular and entertaining ways to stay active and fit, others still find it hard to get into the groove due to fear of being ridiculed or judged by their peers.

This hesitation often has something to do with being a bad dancer.

Nevertheless, you need to keep in mind that dancing isn’t always a competition. It’s a recreational activity that grants you the opportunity to let loose while reaping tons of health benefits.

Everyone should work towards developing a more supportive and judgment-free environment, especially when it comes to things that can keep you happy and healthy.

Another effective low-impact exercise is swimming. Not only is it a lifesaving skill, it’s also one of the best full-body workouts that can be performed by people across various age groups.

On top of being a fun activity, swimming burns a lot of calories without the need to place too much pressure on the body.

This makes it a suitable exercise for people who suffered from muscle injury or joint pains because the buoyancy of water can effectively reduce stress generated on the joints.

Swimming, as a matter of fact, is probably the best exercise out there for your spine so if you suffer from back pains, consider giving it a go!

If you’re someone who easily gets skin rashes due to heat or simply can’t stand too much sweating from a workout, you’ll never encounter such problems while swimming because the water constantly works to keep the body cool.

Taking the time to go for a swim a few times a week can be a quicker and cooler way to stay fit and healthy, given that it burns more calories than walking or cycling.

If you’re looking to improve your leg muscles, rollerblading would be a great choice as it involves a lot of lower body training.

This can dramatically build your core and leg muscles while helping release endorphins or happy hormones.

There’s a sense of satisfaction that comes from enjoying a workout instead of forcing yourself to do it.

One of the best things one can get from a recreational workout like rollerblading is that it makes staying fit and healthy as enjoyable as it should be.

Apart from the physical benefits, it can significantly improve your mental health.

Our lives are full of stressors, may it be from work or personal life. It’s important to take short breaks now and then – nope, I’m not talking about lying in bed or binge-watching a Netflix show.

True, it requires more effort to go out and leave the comfort of your home.

However, when you learn to enjoy exercise as a form of leisure activity rather than a requirement, you’ll be surprised at how rewarding it can be.

So grab those shiny rollerskates and enjoy the fresh air outdoors.

How Does Low-Impact Cardio Benefit the Body?

You always hear about HIIT and boxing, thanks to mainstream media.

But despite the hype and substantial benefits these workouts can offer, there are numerous reasons why low-impact cardio should also be in the limelight.

For instance, low-impact cardio is a lot more time flexible and can be a good starting point for people from different weight categories or fitness levels.

You can’t jump into high-intensity training without conditioning your body first.

Is low-impact cardio good enough to keep you in shape? Of course!

Although it doesn’t seem as talked-about as exercises like sprinting, single-leg burpees, planking, or push-ups – it’s still an effective way to maintain a healthy weight.

In spite of the fact that low-impact cardio doesn’t burn calories as fast as high-intensity interval training or HIIT, this isn’t much of a drawback.

Because low-impact workouts can be done more frequently due to their less demanding nature, it further discourages a sedentary routine and can potentially increase your level of physical activity over time.

Some basic examples of low-impact cardio are kayaking, tai-chi, aerobics, and even golf.

Kayaking is a great way to relax and go sightseeing while also giving your arm a workout.

On the other hand, tai chi is a calming workout that’s beneficial both physically and mentally, the smooth and gentle motions of tai chi don’t just improve your balance but also works as a meditative activity that can help you reflect and be at peace even just for a short while.

Aerobics is a form of low-impact workout that was popularized way back in the ‘80s. This timeless cardio workout is beginner-friendly and easily accessible.

If you don’t have the time and resources to go to an aerobics class or the gym, Mindvalley has a number of online training courses dedicated to health and fitness to choose from which are delivered by the best experts in their respective fields.

Want to know more? Check my article on my personal experience with Mindvalley membership. I can’t recommend it enough!