Everyone has heard the saying, “It doesn’t hurt; no profit.” The truth is, exercise shouldn’t hurt your body. Staying active is a way of life, and exercising is just a means to an end. The main goal is to maintain mobility for the rest of your life.
Here are some simple exercise ideas that won’t strain your joints or overwork your muscles.
Ongoing
Walk, but don’t run. Running causes too much impact on our joints. Walking, however, is a low-impact way to get the same amount of exercise to your muscles without stressing your joints. Increase your walking speed to train your heart too. Brisk walking, or power-walking, gives your body a cardio workout without putting stress on your joints.
yoga
Yoga is another low-stress exercise. In fact, yoga is a great way to reduce stress and relax your body while you exercise. Stretch your muscles and improve your balance with many yoga poses and positions. Improve your flexibility and maintain proper tone, while protecting your joints from the impacting and crushing effects of other exercises. You can even build muscle mass and achieve increased strength by doing power yoga.
Swimming
Swimming is another great exercise that provides joint-friendly exercise. The buoyancy of water holds your body in a state of weightlessness when you exercise. Your muscle groups work together to give your body an overall workout, while keeping your joints fluid and loose. Twenty or thirty minutes of swimming, three times a week is a great way to stay fit without causing pain or discomfort.
Golf
Do you prefer to participate in low-impact sports? Try golf or bowling for joint-friendly exercise. Golf involves a lot of walking, as long as you choose not to drive a golf cart. Golfers also develop good upper body fitness without compromising the health of their joints. This isn’t to say that you may experience shoulder pain as you develop your swing.
Bowling
Bowling is another great way to have fun while exercising. Be sure to wear the right shoes, and choose a ball weight that is appropriate for your height. Lifting a 16-pound ball will cause your arms to groan later.
Badminton
There are sports and other low-impact activities to keep you active at any age. Shuffleboard and badminton are among the many games that provide many advantages without pain. The main idea is to keep moving. Inactivity can be just as bad for your joints as overactivity.
Before and after the activity you choose
You should always remember though, that sometimes no matter what low impact exercise we do, warming up and cooling down the muscles can make the difference between feeling sore, and feeling fit and reading some more!
Doing research, or asking a trainer for advice can help you figure out exactly what type of warm-up you should do and what cool-down you should do.
Another piece of advice I can offer, is that there are plenty of supplements out there to help our joints cope with stress, whether you’re young or old!
John Rushworth walk Havoc Shop – UK based online fitness retailer.
