You Don’t Have to Hurt Yourself to Get Healthy

When it comes to weight management and heart health, we often hear how important cardiovascular exercise is for best results.

Aerobic exercise is excellent for oxygenating blood, getting it pumping and helping bodies get lean and strong.

There are a wide variety of ways to add cardio to your routine, some are high impact, some low, and some are non-impact altogether.

A lot of people are turned off by the thought of adding cardio to their lifestyle because they have aches and weaknesses that make traditional cardio harder and rest periods more painful.

So, they imagine there’s nothing else out there for them. It’s simply not true.

You don’t have to hurt yourself to get healthy, low impact and non-impact exercise can produce excellent results without causing joint and other types of pain.

High Impact VS Low and Non - Impact Exercises

There’s no argument on how important getting your heart rate up is for high-quality exercise.

The discussion gets cloudy when taking a look at the best way to get your heart rate up.

Most people leap right to the assumption that you’ve got to sign up for CrossFit or join a running club.

While those types of exercise may serve and help some people, they may be too hard or unappealing for some people, especially with autoimmune challenges.

Thankfully, there are plenty of alternatives out there.

High Impact

High impact exercise is any exercise where a part of your body comes into contact with something else with significant force.

Think of your foot striking the ground when you run, or both feet landing when you jump. Hands hitting a punching bag would be an example of high-impact exercise as well as doing an action like jumping jacks or burpees.

High impact exercise is great for losing weight fast, building stamina, and creating strength and increasing bone density, but it’s best for people at low risk for injury.

Low Impact and Non-Impact

Low and non-impact exercise reduces the intensity or eliminates any part of the body striking a hard surface.

Examples of low-impact exercise include cycling, dancing, and yoga. An excellent example of non-impact exercise is swimming.

Low and non-impact exercises make the most sense when you are recovering from an injury, suffering from pain in the joints, muscles, or chronic fatigue.

Older adults and people who have a significant amount of weight to lose also benefit from low and non-impact exercise.

You don’t have to brutalize your body to be fit. If you live with pain, have an injury or illness, or simply are at risk for injuries, low and non-impact exercise is the best way to get healthier and fit without risk for your body.