I’m crazy, and I know it. Don’t be like me on those two days a week that I consciously engage in something that I’m telling you not to do. I run two days a week, but I’m telling you to keep your exercise low impact. Save your knees, your back and your hips. Keep a foot on the floor when you exercise.
First I’ll tell you why I do it.
I run twice a week to increase my speed and my stamina so that I can run my dog in Agility and be where he needs me to be. My dog will always be faster than I am. I know that. But I can be in the right place to give him his cue for the next obstacle he has to do. So I need to be faster than I am now. And, perhaps more importantly, not run out of breath when I get there. This is why I keep getting on that treadmill, even though I don’t enjoy it. I’m building my speed with run / walk intervals, and going easy on my old knees. It’s taking a while, but I’m getting there. Some days are definitely easier than others, but the overall trend is faster.
High impact is not for everyone
Yes, you can burn more calories faster with a high impact workout, but low impact can be just as effective for your fitness and your healthy aging! Even though it’s easier on the joints, low impact exercise is not necessarily less stressful on the body. CITYROW founding instructor Annie Mulgrew says, “We want the body to be able to respond to stress effectively — that’s one reason why we exercise.”
Low impact exercise means that one foot is always on the floor during exercise – at least when you’re upright. Seated exercises and mat-work are different animals altogether, but they’re definitely low impact as well.
Low impact does not mean low intensity
For maximum benefit, we want our exercise to be high intensity – we’re challenging ourselves and raising our heart rate. Low impact, high intensity workouts can include speed walking with arm pumps, weight training, rowing, or cycling.
So, put a little less stress on your joints but still make it tough for yourself with your workouts.
