2inspire Health & Fitness Magazine #5 - February 2020

LOW IMPACT FITNESS 6 Benefits of Low Impact Fitness 5 Common Myths About Low Impact Fitness 5 Tips for Using Foam Roller Effectively

Low Impact Workouts for Pregnancy 4 Low Impact Exercises You Can Do At Home 4 Low Impact Exercise Ideas for Seniors

14 Types of Low Impact Fitness to Explore

2Inspirenutrition.com February 2020 FREE

WALKING FOR FITNESS

INSIDE THIS MONTH’S ISSUE 6 Benefits of Low Impact Fitness - pg. 3 5 Common Myths About Low Impact Fitness - pg. 7 14 Types of Low Impact Fitness to Explore - pg. 8 Low Impact Workouts for Pregnancy pg. 13 4 Low Impact Exercises You Can Do At Home - pg. 15 Walking for Fitness - pg. 16 4 Low Impact Exercise Ideas for Seniors pg. 22

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6 Benefits of Low Impact Fitness

There are many benefits of low impact exercise. In fact, it can be easily argued that you could achieve almost any fitness and health goal with a low impact fitness program. From weight loss to strength, it’s all possible.

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When you think about low impact fitness you may likely envision seniors racewalking down the sidewalk. And sure, low impact fitness can be good for seniors and it can include race walking, but it can include so much more. Low impact fitness is literally fitness that doesn’t result in repetitive impact on your bones, muscles, and joints.

So jump roping isn’t low impact fitness. Parkour isn’t low impact fitness.

But rowing, weightlifting, swimming, cycling, Barre, Pilates, and even some types of dance are all examples of low impact fitness.

Low impact fitness can be intense. There are some great HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) programs that are low impact.

Low impact can also be endurance oriented.

Imagine swimming a mile or bicycling 100 miles; that’s endurance, AND swimming and bicycling are both low impact exercises.

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The definition of low impact is that at least one of your feet remains on the ground at all times, with the caveat that swimming is low impact and so is bicycling, even though your feet aren’t technically on the ground.

1. Great way to ease into fitness.

One of the many reasons why people are often hesitant to exercise is that they don’t want to get injured. This logic only becomes more entrenched as people age and the inconvenience, recovery time, and discomfort of an injury become more burdensome.

However, low impact exercise is a fantastic way to ease into exercise with less of a concern about injury. This isn’t to say that you can’t get injured with low impact exercise – you could step off of the curb wrong and twist your ankle. However, there is much less risk of injury when one of your feet is always on the ground.

Additionally, low impact may seem like a kinder and gentler transition from the couch to exercise.

Because things like walking, bicycling, and yoga are low impact, it feels more approachable than perhaps running or CrossFit. 2. Good options for people with joint pain or mobility challenges.

One of the biggest reasons why low impact fitness is popular is because it is easier on your joints and supporting tissues. If you’ve ever had hip, ankle, or knee injuries then you probably don’t want to go through that again.

Low impact supports you to move your body, which is essential for lasting weight loss and better health, without joint pain.

And if you have mobility issues, like a tight shoulder or tight hips from sitting at a desk all day, then low impact fitness can help you get moving and improve your mobility gradually, without injury.

3. Builds strength.

We’re going to talk about the different types of low impact fitness later in this guide. However, it’s good to know that strength training, bodyweight and with weights, is low impact. Your feet, both of them, stay on the ground.

There’s no jumping or twisting with strength training. And if you have mobility issues, then you work from where you are now and allow yourself to improve over time.

For example, let’s say that you have knee issues and cannot do a full depth squat. A full depth squat is one where your hips are at or below your knees. So you squat as deep as you comfortably can, build up strength in those muscles, including your quad muscles that support your knees. You work on your form and as you get stronger, you’re able to squat deeper without pain.

4. Builds endurance.

Low impact fitness embraces a number of different types of exercise.

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As mentioned earlier, it can include short HIIT workouts or long workouts. You can swim a mile, hike ten miles, or bicycle 100. Depending on the type of exercise you choose, low impact fitness can absolutely build endurance.

The way to accomplish this is to take it in small bites. If you’re going to walk a marathon, for example, you might go out the door and walk a mile today, three miles next week, five miles the week after and so on until you’re able to walk 15 or so miles. Then you’re trained to walk a marathon.

5. Great way to maintain and/or lose weight.

Because low impact does in fact embrace all of the different types of exercise that you might enjoy, from swimming to weight training and everything in between, it absolutely can help you lose weight and maintain your weight loss.

And when you combine exercise approaches, your path to weight loss can be faster. We’ll talk about

exercise programs in just a bit.

6. Improved cardio health.

Let’s be completely and brutally honest here... your feet don’t both have to be off the ground for good cardio exercise.

Don’t believe me? Go for a brisk walk. Seriously, walk as fast as you can for 20 minutes. You will feel your heart rate increase, your breathing becomes more difficult, and you might even sweat.

Cardiovascular health, aka heart health, improves when you increase your heart’s workload. It’s a muscle, and like your other muscles it gets stronger when it’s exercised.

To exercise your heart, you must increase the demands on it. When it needs to pump more blood and oxygen to your muscles, it gets stronger.

Any exercise that gets your heart rate up, whether low or high impact, will improve your cardio health.

5 Common Myths About Low Impact Fitness

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#1 You can’t lose weight/ burn fat with low impact fitness Ha! Baloney! You can absolutely lose weight, burn fat, and get in amazing shape with low impact fitness. Two of the best ways to burn fat are with strength training and HIIT (High Impact Interval Training).

Strength training can be bodyweight movements like pushups, pullups, and squats. It can also be with fun weights like kettlebells and med balls. Or if you really want to go big, it can be with barbells and heavy dumbbells. You will burn fat and lose weight with strength training.

HIIT includes short bursts of intense exercise followed by periods of moderate intensity exercise. For example, you might sprint on your bike for a quarter mile and then peddle at a more relaxed pace for a half mile. Repeat this 10 times and you’re going to have gotten in an excellent workout, had little to no impact, and burned fat and calories.

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exercise has more to do with your diet than with the type of exercise you choose. If you want to lose weight, change your eating habits and get moving your body – low impact fitness will absolutely get you where you want to go.

folks in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and anyone else who is interested in getting into shape. Low impact benefits everyone. #4 It’s for people with joint problems

Yes, of course low impact fitness is for people with joint problems. It’s #2 Low impact means also for people without low intensity joint problems. You can I think we just busted this be completely healthy, myth. Low impact doesn’t have great mobility and flexibility and simply prefer mean low intensity. You can get your heart rate up low impact fitness. It’s for quite high and get a super everyone. hard workout without #5 It’s boring impact. Get on your rowing machine and row There are so many a 5k. You’ll get an intense different low impact workout. options, that it seems impossible to get bored.

Or jump on a spin bike Of course, there’s probably and do intervals, 20 someone who only finds seconds of sprinting followed by 10 seconds of enjoyment with higher rest, repeated 8x. Intensity impact movements or is all about heart rate and programs like parkour or your effort level, not your trampolines or running, and that’s fine. For the impact, determines your majority of people, intensity. You can do a however, low impact high impact exercise like fitness will not be dull. box jumps, without any intensity.

When you find activities that you enjoy, and there #3 It’s for seniors are tons to choose from, exercise can be fun.

Yes, low impact fitness is for seniors. It’s also for children, teenagers, lovely

14 Types of Low Impact Fitness to Explore

1. Yoga Yoga is a practice that includes mobility, flexibility, strength, and endurance. There are dozens of different types of yoga. Each type is differentiated by how they approach the same basic set of movements. It’s generally practiced on a yoga mat and, unless you’re doing an inverted (upside down) pose, you’re going to be on your feet, your knees, or laying down.

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Yoga is an exercise to be sure, and there are some forms that are more intense or cardio-focused, and other types that are more focused on flexibility, relaxation, or endurance.

Additionally, yoga can be a spiritual practice. Yoga is great for anyone who is interested in it or who would like to improve their mobility or strength.

machine simulates rowing on the water. You can increase or decrease the damper and change the workout from a cardio one to a strength one.

Form on the rowing machine is important, but with a little practice and awareness, it’s a userfriendly machine. You can do long cardio workouts on an ERG or shorter HIIT type training. One of the 2. Swimming (and water biggest manufacturers of aerobics) ERGs is Concept2 (https:// www.concept2.com/).

If you have access to a pool, then consider adding On their website they provide a good number of swimming to your low workouts. impact fitness program.

It’s an exceptional Many people love the cardiovascular workout. rowing machine so much And there are some fun that they buy one for their swim aerobics programs home. Rowing is good that can leverage the for anyone who enjoys a buoyancy of the water good cardio workout and while keeping your two feet on the bottom of the likes to exercise at home. pool, and your head above 4. Spinning/cycling water. Swimming laps is good for anyone who enjoys swimming and has Bicycling is an outdoor a fair degree of proficiency activity and “spinning” is using an indoor bicycle. in the water.

Both are low impact, and both can get you a 3. Rowing great workout. Cycling is something that, like A rowing machine, aka rowing, you can get a an ERG, can give you a whole-body workout. This long endurance workout 9

or a shorter interval type workout.

There are spinning classes that you can take online.

Concept2 is just one of the many companies that makes spin bikes. (They also make ski ergs if you enjoy cross country skiing or want to get that type of indoor workout).

If you enjoy riding your bike, then spinning or bicycling is a fantastic workout. You don’t get too much of an upper body workout from cycling, but it can be a fun addition to your low impact fitness routine.

5. Weightlifting (Strength Training) Strength training is amazing for a number of reasons. It helps you build muscle which in turn can help you achieve the physique that you’re looking for. It burns fat and calories so you can lose weight. Perhaps more importantly, it reduces bone loss as you age and can prevent osteoporosis.

And strength training can help you reduce your risk of injury. Anyone can

strength train and you don’t need weights to do it. Bodyweight exercises like squats, pushups, situps, and pullups are all exceptional bodyweight strength movements.

6. Gym cardio machines We’ve talked about the spin bike, the ski erg, and the rowing machine. There are other gym cardio machines that you may enjoy and are considered to be low impact. Some examples include: • Elliptical • Stair stepper • Treadmill - you can walk on an incline on a treadmill and get a fantastic workout

by Joseph Pilates. It’s a series of movements all designed to strengthen your core muscles. Your core muscles include your back, hip, and abdominal muscles.

Pilates classes sometimes work on the floor on a mat, sometimes on a machine called a reformer, If you like to get on a and sometimes it includes machine, zone out, and a bit of both. Pilates is go, then a gym cardio for you if you want a machine can be a great strong core – and who addition to your low doesn’t? It also requires impact fitness routine. some patience, and You can buy them for your there’s a learning curve for home gym or join a gym beginners, but the rewards and find your favorite. pay off with a strong and tone core and amazing 7. Pilates posture.

Pilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century 10

derived from a ballet warm up. You can find classes with instructors who can help you with your form.

You can also find online classes that you can do at home. You may want to begin in a class setting, however, because they do use a ballet bar for stability and form.

Barre is low impact and has a built-in handhold, making it a relatively safe form of exercise. Barre may be a good way to improve stability and avoid accidents. It’s a great way to improve lower body strength, tone your arms and core, and to improve your posture.

8. Barre

9. Walking/hiking

Barre is a form of exercise

You may not believe this,

but walking is one of the best forms of exercise.

Now the key to getting a workout from walking is to skip the leisurely stroll.

Walk as fast as you can.

Get your heart rate up and walk briskly for 20-30 minutes.

Hiking takes walking to a different level because it often involves trails and uneven surfaces. This is good for improving strength and mobility.

Additionally, whenever you can add hills into your walking or hiking exercise, you’re adding strength and intensity to the workout.

Walking or hiking can be a great way to get a good workout and some downtime. You can listen to an audio book or some of your favorite music while you walk. Your intensity should be such that you can maybe say a few words if you’re walking with someone, but you’re breathing too hard to carry on a conversation.

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and walk with your treadmill set to an incline if you are unable to get outside. Some treadmills simulate “rolling hills” and they have programs which will automatically increase and decrease their incline throughout your workout.

10. Step Aerobics Step aerobics may be one low impact exercise that surprises you, especially if you’ve ever taken an aerobics class. Step aerobics involves rapid cardio movements that increase in intensity as you warm up. You use a step as your base and most movements are centered on this step.

Walking is exceptional if you live in a place that is safe and allows you good weather most days. You can also hop on a treadmill One foot is always planted when you step up, so

it absolutely fits the definition of low impact.

There are no jumping or jolting movements in step aerobics. It’s a fun and lively low impact exercise program that is fantastic for those who enjoy working out to music and like a class setting.

You can, of course, find online or DVD step aerobic programs that you can do in your home. You simply need to buy your own step.

11. TRX - Total Body Resistance TRX is an exercise program using resistance bands.

It’s easy on your joints and there aren’t any dynamic movements. Users of the system swear by

there are a number of the power of it and the challenge and demand on martial arts that are low impact. Keep in mind their body. that there are some that are not low impact. You TRX is a strength and cardio program so you get may want to watch a class the best of both worlds. If before you sign up to participate. you want a full body low Martial arts generally impact fitness program, require control and focus.

TRX may be exactly what It’s good for people who you’ve been looking for. want a mental element Keep in mind that the to their workout, and movements are scalable, occasionally a spiritual so if you’re a beginner be one. Tai chi is often used patient with yourself as you learn the movements as a way to improve or learn self-defense, and get stronger. and kickboxing can be a low impact workout 12. Dancing depending on a particular gym’s approach. Hitting There are many types and kicking a punching of dancing that will get bag can be extremely your heart rate up and satisfying. keep your feet on the floor. Square dancing, tap dancing, modern dancing, 14. Golf ballet, and of course Golf is a low impact ballroom dancing can all exercise. It’s healthier be low impact. for you if you carry your You’ll get a great workout, own clubs and you walk have tons of fun, and learn from hole to hole instead of using a golf cart. If something new. If you enjoy music and you want you enjoy games, being outside, and want a bit to learn, then dancing of strategy with your is a fantastic low impact workout, then golf may exercise to consider. be exactly what you have been looking for.

13. Martial Arts From Tai Chi to kickboxing, Low impact fitness is an

approach to fitness that works for anyone at any level of fitness. Whether you’re a beginner, just getting back to exercise after some time off, or a seasoned athlete, you don’t need to have hard impact on your joints to achieve your desired health and fitness goals.

If you’re new to fitness and exercise, let yourself ease into exercise. Create a daily workout plan with one rest day each week. Create the exercise habit. However, make sure you also don’t overdo it.

You don’t need to exercise for hours every day to get benefits. HIIT programs can be as short as 5 minutes and still provide good benefits.

If you’re a seasoned pro, then you know what you’re capable of achieving. The goal with low impact is the same; the only difference is the types of exercise you’re performing daily. Create your routine, make it fun and doable, and then create the exercise habit.

Make low impact fitness work for you.

Low Impact Workouts for Pregnancy

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Just because you’re expecting, it doesn’t mean you have to become a couch potato!

In fact, exercise is highly recommended during pregnancy to ensure a healthy you and a healthy baby. But, you need to be mindful of what type of exercises you’re doing during pregnancy. Low impact workouts come highly recommended for pregnant women since they will help you stay up and about without putting any stress on your body or joints. Here are some workouts we recommended.

Donkey Kicks Get onto your hands and knees for this core, back, and glute strengthening workout. Lift the opposite arm straight out in front of you as you raise the opposite leg up and behind you, with the knee bent. Bring both back to the mat and then repeat multiple times until you feel the burn. Switch sides and do an equal number of reps.

Marching Arm Stretch Your baby will cause your center of gravity to shift to the front of your body throughout pregnancy, and that can lead to tight chest muscles as a result.

This move will help open up your chest and get you burning calories. Start by marching forward, 14

bringing your knees up high, at a pace that’s moderate intensity for you. As you do, stretch your arms out to the sides, keeping them straight.

Bring them in front of you, palms together, and repeat in rhythm with your march. Hold the arm stretch for a few paces.

Plie Squat This is one of the prettiest moves anyone can do, and it’s great for pregnant women. Stand up straight with your feet at hip width apart. Point your toes out to an angle that comfortable for you, making a mental note that your feet may not be perfectly symmetrical (i.e., one foot may be able to turn out more than the other). Don’t force your foot outwards as it can

cause discomfort.

With your toes pointed out, keep your knees behind your toes as you squat down to a 90-degree angle, as if about to sit. Hold for a few seconds and then slowly come back up. You should do this move gradually to feel the resistance of your body’s weight.

Leg Lifts Lie on your side and, if needed, prop your upper body up on one arm.

Legs straight, lift your top leg up towards the ceiling to an angle that’s comfortable for you. This move is great because your hips will change position during pregnancy and leg lifts will help your abductor muscles stay strong.

4 Low Impact Exercises You Can Do At Home

Tired of the same old, same old? Can’t make it to the gym? Weather not good outside? There are plenty of reasons why you might want to workout from home, and there are plenty of ways to do it.

Here are five great lowimpact exercises that you can do anywhere, with no equipment required.

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Marching Marching in place is like the perfect hybrid of walking and running. It’s low impact, like walking, but can be moderate or high intensity, just like a jog or run. Plus, you can do it from home without anything required other than willpower. As a quiet, low impact activity, you can march in place as you watch TV or you can take it mobile as you move around the house. The trick is to get your knees

high and go at a pace that’s sustainable but still challenging for yourself.

Tai Chi Tai chi or yoga are popular low-impact workouts because they engage your entire body and accomplish multiple things at once. In addition to being very flowing and helping you relieve any stress you may be feeling, yoga and tai chi alike both have you focus on your breathing and your balance. Plus, you will find yourself toning your muscles as you stretch out your body. You can even get your heart rate up with certain yoga routines.

Dance Whether or not you have a partner, dancing is one of the best things you can do to get moving without putting too much strain

on your body. It’s very fun and allows you to learn a new skill with nothing other than a video to teach you. There are plenty of free courses online and videos on YouTube that will teach you basic steps and routines. So, push the sofa back and make room for your very own dance floor. Before you know it, you could spend hours working on your moves.

Routine Workouts There are plenty of low impact workout routines dedicated to helping you tone up and slim down.

Think squats, lunges, crunches, and other classic moves that can be done standing still or lying on the floor. There is no shortage of low impact moves out there--you just have to find the ones that work for you!

Walking for Fitness One of the best low impact fitness routines one can do to both lose weight or maintain weight, or get stronger and fitter is to walk. And the beauty of it is all you need to start with is a pair of walking shoes. While there are other small pieces of equipment that you may want to add later, but to start all you essentially need is a pair of good walking or crosstrainer shoes.

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Choosing Your Route Before you start, you will want to map out your walking route. It can be as simple as walking around your neighborhood on sidewalks to more complex walking that involves going up and down hills on unpaved trails. In inclement weather, go inside and use a treadmill either in your house if you have your own or at a gym. A treadmill allows for both control of the incline and speed of your walk. Or alternately, you can use an elliptical trainer for a different style of walking if a treadmill is not available or just to do something different.

Walking Speed As simple as walking sounds, it can be tiring –

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especially if you are not used to walking. Start out slow and go as far as you can leaving enough energy to get back home.

The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise.

Walking at a brisk 3.5 mph, or at the speed where you can still carry on a conversation is about the right speed. If you do the math, the 150-minute recommendation figures out to be 30 minutes per day, five days per week.

And you don’t have to walk for 30 minutes all at one time. Studies have shown that walking in three 10-minute increments is actually more beneficial than one 30-minute walk. Why? Because it keeps your metabolism functioning at a higher rate between

walks. So if finding a continuous 30-minute block of time is hard, walk 10-minutes in the morning, again at lunch and after work.

Taking It Up a Notch After you have been walking for a while, it will start to get easier.

And if you walk the same route at the same speed, your body will get more efficient at doing it and you’ll burn fewer calories than when you first started walking. To counteract this, you must make some changes. You can: • Increase your speed • Increase the difficulty of your route • Increase the distance you walk • Weight down your body

Increase your speed There are a couple of different ways to speed up the pace of your walk.

The obvious one is to walk faster. Instead of walking at a brisk speed of 3 mph, kick it up to 4 mph. This alone will increase the calorie burn of a 150-pound person from 125 calories per 30 minutes to 179 calories.

The other way is to apply the HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) method to your walking. Under this method you would walk as fast as you can for one minute, slow your pace down for two minutes, walk fast again for a minute and so on for the duration of your walk.

For this type of walking a better choice of footwear is a good set of hiking boots so that you have some ankle support.

Increase the distance you walk

as it gets easier.

And of course, the best option is to use a combination of two or more of any of these options. But be careful to not get into a rut as not Walking further is always only will you get bored another option to increase with it, but your body will the difficulty of your walk. get more efficient at doing As the minutes click by, that same walk under the Increase the difficulty of you’ll burn more calories same conditions. Instead your route with an increased distance keep your mind sharp than you did at a shorter and your body guessing If you are used to walking one. by throwing different on a flat sidewalk, increase scenarios at it. One day the difficulty of your route Weigh down your body walk on flat surfaces at a by choosing one with set time/distance. Change some varied terrain. Of Lastly, you can increase it up by doing some trail course, the other way is the difficulty by weighing walking. Weight yourself to trade your flat paved yourself down by using down with a course that sidewalk for a more either ankle weights or has hills, etc. It is fun to mix challenging unpaved wrist weights. Carrying it up and will help increase unimproved trail where a light dumbbell in each your fitness level faster. you must negotiate hand is another option. As   around boulders, walk on you get used to carrying a Nice to Have Equipment uneven surfaces along certain amount of weight, with going up and down. you can always increase it All you really need to 18

start a low impact fitness program of walking is a good pair of shoes made for that sport. However, as you get more fit, you may want to add a few pieces of inexpensive equipment including: • Wearable technology • Weights • Clothing Wearable technology In the beginning, you may want to track your walking according to time.

For a 30-minute walk, go one direction for 15 minutes and return back the same route. But as you get better at it, you may want to track more stats.

A natural progression is to get a pedometer or accelerometer so you can track the number of steps you take instead of tracking just the time spent walking. A common goal of those who walk for fitness is 10,000 steps per day. This number also includes other steps you take during the day when not on your walking routine.

types such as wearable vests or belts, but these are not as common as the ones first mentioned.

Some varieties of wearable weights can be worn either around the wrists or ankles. If you intend to do both, then buy two pair.

Many of them also have removable weights so that you can start out light Weights and as your fitness level improves, you can add Weights come in two basic in weight. These types of types: types you wrap weight can be purchased To take it one step further, some walkers are around your wrist or ankle, at a sport store or at Amazon for around $10 purchasing fitness trackers or dumbbells that you carry in your hand. There all the way up to around like ones marketed by $30 depending on the Fitbit, Garmin and others. are other lesser know 19

Not only do these trackers log steps, but other stats like heart rate, sleep, calories burned, energy monitoring, oxygen, etc.

There are also some really good apps that you can get for your smartphone (both Android and iOS) that do many of these same types of tracking.

features and weight you want. A good size to start out with is a 5 lb. set that has removable weights in ½ pound increments.

you need. If outdoors, it is weather-dependent. While that same outfit can be worn in good weather, you will have to dress in layers if it is cold.

the correct type of socks.

Choose a pair that is made from a moisture-wicking synthetic fiber to keep your feet dry.

As your body heats up, you can take off a layer or two to keep from getting overheated. For example, if it is 40 degrees F outside, Clothing your body will heat up to 50 to 55 degrees. If it What you wear is driven by is raining, then you will wear your walk. If indoors want a water-resistant on a track, treadmill or breathable outside layer to elliptical trainer, then keep from getting wet and moisture-wicking shorts then cold. or yoga-style leggings and a lightweight shirt are all It is also important to wear

Of course, you will also want to protect your skin from sun damage by wearing a good sunscreen that has at least a 15 SPF factor. This is particularly important if you have been training inside during the winter and are now outside since it has warmed up or if you are going to train in an area where it is hotter than you

As far as dumbbells, you can get a vinyl-covered set in bright colors that has a pair each in 2 lb,, 3 lb. and 5 lb. for less than $30.

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Wear sunscreen

are used to.

Walking for Fitness Routine People just starting out in a walking program often ask about how many days they should train to make a positive impact on their fitness level. You want to mix up your walking workouts to get the most effect on fitness. You can do this by alternating short walking days with long days and taking at least one day per week off from walking.

To get the most fitness benefit from your low impact walking program, your pace should be at a “brisk” pace with the goal of getting your heart rate to 60-70% of its maximum. rate. To find your target heart rate, first start by finding your maximum heart rate and then taking 60 to 70 percent of that value.

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1. Short Day: Warm up at an easy pace for five minutes. Speed up to a brisk walk at the target heart rate pace for 30 minutes. Cool-down by walking at an easy pace for 5 minutes.

2. Long Day: Warm up for five minutes at an easy pace. Stretch. Walk at the target heart rate brisk walking pace for 60 minutes. Cool-down with an easy pace for 5 minutes and finish with some gentle stretching.

3. Long Easy Day: Warm up for five minutes at an easy pace. Stretch.

Walk at the target heart rate brisk walking pace for 30 minutes. Slow down to easy pace for additional 30 minutes and finish with some gentle stretching.

• Sun.: Long Day - 60 min.

• Mon.: Day Off - 0 min.

• Tue.: Short Day - 30 min.

• Wed.: Short Day - 30 min.

• Thu.: Long Day - 60 min.

• Fri.: Short Day - 30 min.

• Sat.: Long Easy Day 30 min. at target heart rate, with an additional 30 minutes at an easy pace.

If you don’t have time for a sustained walk, find the time to take multiple, but shorter 10 or 15-minute walks.

Walking is a great low impact exercise to get fitter. It can be done anywhere and doesn’t 4. Day Off: When walking require much for for fitness, take at least equipment. one day off per week to give your body a rest and a chance to rebuild.

For men, their maximum heart rate is their age subtracted from 220; for women it is 226 minus their age. At this pace, you should be breathing noticeably harder, but able Alternate the above to speak in full sentences. days to fit your personal weekly schedule. A sample This routine is broken up workout week at target into four different types of heart rate is shown below: workout days:

4 Low Impact Exercise Ideas for Seniors

There are plenty of low impact exercises that seniors can do to keep themselves in shape.

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Swimming/ Aquatic Aerobics Swimming and/or aquatic aerobics are a great way for seniors to keep in shape. Even When you get older, though swimming may traditional workouts seem like really intense become a lot harder to exercise, it is surprisingly do. The risk of injury also easy on the body. This is goes up drastically. This is due to the fact that the why seniors are typically water reduces the impact discouraged from doing of physical movement on things like lifting weights, your muscles. So, you can running, etc. These swim for hours and not exercises burn calories, feel really any soreness in burn fat, keep the muscles your muscles. The same loose, and they do it goes for aquatic aerobics. without putting a serious Swimming is also great strain on the body. because it works the vast majority of muscle groups Yoga/Pilates/Aerobics in the body at once.

Yoga, Pilates, and aerobics, while all technically different, have enough in common that they can be put under the same subheading.

Walking

It may seem somewhat obvious, but you would be surprised at how helpful walking can be.

A lot of people make the Any one of these exercises mistake of overlooking is a great option for seniors walking, but if done at a because they exercise decent pace, it can end a bunch of different up burning a respectable muscle groups without number of calories. It is putting any strain on the also a very easy exercise to body. Pretty much every supplement. For example, community center and you could walk at a normal yoga center out there pace 75% of the time, offers classes for seniors but then speed walk for only as well.

25% of the time to burn

more calories. You can also walk with very light weights to make it a bit more rigorous, while still remaining low impact.

Using an Exercise Bike While regular biking might be a bit difficult for some seniors, using an exercise bike is a perfectly good alternative. Most exercise bikes come with very low resistance settings that are great for seniors. An exercise bike lets a senior get a really good cardio workout without putting much strain on their muscles. Exercise bikes also let seniors exercise their leg and calf muscles without risking damage to their bones and leg muscles.

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