Exercise is an essential part of maintaining your health as you age. But for older adults, certain types of exercise can be unsafe – even if you were a pro at them when you were younger. Fortunately, low-impact exercises are an excellent way to improve or maintain your physical fitness, no matter your age.
What exercises count as ‘low impact?’
The term “low impact” should not be confused with “low intensity.” Generally, a low-impact workout is made up of exercises that do not subject the body to the jerking or jarring movements common in high-impact exercises, such as jumping or running. However, you’ll still break a sweat, get your blood pumping, build muscle, and more – all without placing additional pressure on your bones and joints. Yoga, tai-chi, Pilates, swimming, cycling, and body-weight training are all low-impact workouts.
Low impact workouts are easy for most people, making them great for group workouts (that way, you get the health benefits of socialization as well). Plus, signing up for a class is a great way to make a habit of exercise and have an instructor teach you proper form. But if you want to try exercising solo, we’ve created an infographic to walk you through a few invigorating low-impact exercises you can do at home.
