Whether it’s from spending months locked up in quarantine or just needing to get your body moving, that urge to start working out (again) hits us all at some point or another. Lots of exercises can be intimidating to people with joint problems, or to people that would prefer to not have those kinds of problems in the future. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to get your muscles pumping and heart racing that have a light impact on your body. Here are some of our favorite light impact workouts that you should try out.
Yoga
In some form or another, almost all of us are familiar at least with the concept of yoga. What some of us perhaps aren’t too familiar with is just how physically demanding it can be!
While it certainly works as an exercise to center your mind, holding those poses and moving slowly between them does an awful lot for your muscles too. Yoga is a great option for anyone that needs a light impact workout and doesn’t want to have to buy a lot of expensive equipment—a mat and a good walkthrough video is all you need.
Pilates
Sometimes described as a step up from yoga, pilates also works on controlling your body in similar ways as yoga, but at the same time is quite a bit more active. Born out of internment camps in WWI, pilates certainly does not have to be a walk in the park.
Sit-ups, planks, and leg raises. Again, a mat is really all you need, but there is also other equipment to explore, such as reformers.
Barre
Let’s add another thing to what we’ve mentioned already, shall we? Barre has been described as a mix between yoga, pilates, and ballet. Ballet dancers are nothing if not strong, and a barre workout definitely reflects that.
Barre workouts are full body muscle-endurance exercises. With the assistance of the barre (or of your countertop), each rep will have your muscles burning.
Swimming
Swimming is one of the best and perhaps the toughest low impact workout you can put your entire body through. We’ve all seen what professional swimmers look like, right?
While we’re certainly not going to be churning out laps like Katie Ledecky, getting into the pool for regular workouts is a great way to exercise your entire body, your lungs, and all with minimal impact. It truly is a practically perfect workout.
Dancing
Yes, really! It’s no weight training, but dancing certainly works out your lower body and builds up quite the sweat! Bringing up your heart rate regularly, as you would on the dance floor, is great for your cardiovascular health and for your spirits.
You certainly don’t need a club scene to bust a move, either. Music on your TV and an open living room floor are great company, too!
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