Top Low-Impact Exercises that Burn Calories
Low impact exercises can burn calories similar to high impact exercises, but without the wear and tear of your joints. Low impact exercises are great for overall fitness and individuals that are new to fitness, aging or prone to sports injury. Especially with age, preserving the joints becomes necessary to maintain an active, healthy Optimal Lifestyle. Low impact exercises allow the exerciser to build fitness gradually and strengthen the supportive tissue that supports joints and bone health.
As a Personal Trainer, I am often asked for low impact exercises that build health and wellness without injury. Here are my top 5 favorite low impact exercises that I suggest to burn more calories while safeguarding joints:
Work out smarter, not harder
1. Walking/hiking
Walking is one of the greatest exercises that individuals can do. It builds cardiovascular fitness, tones the entire body, and helps to maintain a healthy BMI (body mass index). Walking/Hiking is something you can do indoors on a treadmill or outdoors at a favorite park or trail. You will obviously improve your endurance and stamina while strengthening and toning muscle.
Added bonus…Hiking rejuvenates and increases your mental health, outlook on life and overall happiness. All you need are some comfortable walking shoes or day hikers. Get outside and play today! Include your family and take walks together to build fitness and family bonds together.
2. Elliptical machine
Elliptical takes the movement of running, but softens it into a low impact exercise that gives you many of the same benefits that running provides. Elliptical training burns calories, builds cardiovascular fitness, improves endurance, and increases blood flow by increasing the amount of oxygen your red blood cells can carry throughout the body.
Many families have included at-home cardio machines such as elliptical trainers to their gyms since they have come down in price and have increased in popularity for home use. You can even adjust settings to add incline that simulates climbing stairs for optimum glute engagement and increased calorie burn. When was the last time you added elliptical work to your cardio routine?
30-45 minutes 3-4 times weekly is sufficient to see measurable progress in toning and weight loss.
opt out
3. Swimming
Back to the great outdoors for exercise…Swimming offers a variety of different fitness perks depending on what type of activity you do. Resistance training in the water helps improve lean muscle mass using your body weight against the gravity and resistance of the water. Cardio exercises, such as running or speed walking, in the water takes all of the pressure off the joints allowing those recovering from injury to rehabilitate safely. Traditional swimming strokes help burn calories and provide a full body workout.
I personally LOVE open water swimming. It helps me maintain cardiovascular fitness, healthy weight, a healthy heart and lungs while toning muscles and building up my strength and endurance. AND being in open water is tranquil and meditative in a way that feeds your mind, body and spirit!
Start with 15 to 20 minute swims every other day, and then gradually increase to 30 minute swims five days a week, as your body allows. If you start a new swimming routine at too high an intensity, muscle soreness, fatigue and overtraining could cause you to give up too soon. Be enthusiastic, but be mindful of proper form and amount of time spent in the water. Remember to wear UV protective swim rashguards when swimming outdoors, especially between 10am and 4pm, when the sun’s rays are strongest.
If you are searching to change things up, get a full body workout without stressing your joints and just want to have fun working out, dial swimming into your exercise routine today!
4. Recumbent bike
Stationary bikes provide a challenging cardio workout that tones all of the major leg muscles within the safety of a gym or the comfort of your home. These bikes allow you to exercise your thighs, calves, and glute muscles with less strain than your road bike on pavement. It also has a wider, lower and more comfortable seat than an upright or traditional bike.
The big bonus here is less strain on your joints, which is ideal for those with injuries or arthritis and want a more gentle workout during the healing process. Recumbent bikes are also much easier to balance on and sit comfortably. The quality of the bike trainers at the gym are different than the domestic models available for home use and the commercial bikes have a more REAL feel that you can adjust to meet your personal needs and accommodations.
The average person can burn 260 calories for a moderate 30-minute ride on a recumbent bike, which will contribute to your overall weight loss goals, for sure! Keep pedaling…
5. Pilates
Pilates programs fit well into this category as well, for the challenging low impact workout that Pilates can offer. Pilates classes help tone the entire body and burn more calories than yoga. Pilates can be done on a mat at home or on a Pilates Reformer at a health club or private studio. Both styles of Pilates help build core strength, burn calories, and help recovering after injury.
I love how Pilates lengthens and stretches all the major muscle groups in the body in a balanced fashion. It improves flexibility, strength, balance and body awareness while improving posture and elongating the spine with flow and precision.
Low-impact exercise is a great option for everyone
Remember, a stratified exercise program that implements low-impact exercise can prevent overuse injury and prolong your ability to remain active and healthy. Adding low-impact exercise to your Optimal YOU Lifestyle will positively affect your health, body, and mind. Ditch the joint pain and strain for real measurable gains!
