Low-Impact Workouts for Older Adults

How to Stay Active Without Putting Stress on Your Joints

Exercise is important for your health, but it’s easy to get sidelined by injuries and other issues. The key is finding a workout that doesn’t put stress on your joints—and the following low-impact workouts are great for older adults!

Cardio

Cardio workouts are one of the best ways to improve your heart health and keep your body in shape. If you’re looking for a low-impact cardio option, try walking, jogging, running or swimming. Cycling is also an excellent choice for older adults because it’s easy on the joints–and it doesn’t require any special equipment or training.

• Walking: If you’re just starting out with exercise after years of inactivity, walking may be all that’s needed to get started again! Try taking frequent walks around town or through parks during daylight hours when traffic is light (avoiding rush hour). For added challenge, try adding hills into your route so that each step requires more effort from your muscles–but remember not overdo it at first since this type of workout can cause injuries if done too vigorously right away.*

Yoga and Pilates

Yoga and Pilates are popular low-impact activities that can benefit your body as you age. Both practices focus on flexibility, strength and balance to improve posture, prevent injuries and promote overall health.

Yoga is a series of poses (asanas) held in different positions for several minutes each. It’s common for people to do yoga at home as well as in classes–it doesn’t require any special equipment other than a mat or rug if you want some extra padding underfoot when doing the poses on hard surfaces like wood floors or concrete sidewalks.

Pilates uses specialized machines designed by Joseph Pilates that strengthen core muscles while improving flexibility throughout the entire body without requiring much movement from your joints; these machines are often found in gyms but not always available for home use unless purchased separately from one another through online retailers such as Amazon or eBay (for example).

Strength training

Strength training is one of the most effective ways to improve your physical health and well-being. As you age, it’s important to maintain muscle mass so that you can stay strong and active. Strength training also helps with balance and posture, which are often affected by age-related conditions such as osteoporosis or Parkinson’s disease.

If you’re looking for low-impact exercise options that will help build strength without putting too much stress on your joints, check out these exercises:

• Pushups – Lie facedown on the floor with hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart under your shoulders; keep core tight throughout movement; raise up onto toes as high as possible while keeping body straight; lower down until chest touches ground; repeat 10 times
• Crunches – Lie on back with knees bent; place hands behind head and keep chin tucked in at all times; raise shoulders off ground and squeeze abs together as you lift your torso toward knees; lower back down to starting position as slowly as possible while inhaling and exhaling through nose

Aquatic exercise

Aquatic exercise is a low-impact way to stay fit and maintain your independence. Swimming, kayaking and paddleboarding are all great activities for older adults because they don’t put stress on the joints, which can make it easier for you to get around later in life. You can also do exercises in the water like stretching or resistance training–and if you’d rather not get wet at all, there are plenty of other options:

• Aerobics classes, such as water aerobics classes that teach participants how to move their bodies through space while swimming laps or doing synchronized strokes
• Aquatic therapy sessions designed specifically for people with chronic pain issues (such as arthritis)

Exercise is important for your health, but you can find a low-impact workout that doesn’t put stress on your joints.

Exercise is important for your health, but you can find a workout that doesn’t put stress on your joints. The following exercises are examples of low-impact workouts you might want to try:

• Walking: This is one of the easiest ways to incorporate exercise into your life. It’s also often free, so there’s no excuse not to get moving! If you don’t live near any sidewalks or trails, try walking around in your house or apartment building instead of sitting down while watching TV (or better yet, get up and move!).
• Swimming: Swimming is another great way to get active without putting too much pressure on the body’s joints–and being in water makes it easier on muscles as well! Just make sure that when swimming laps at home or at the gym that there aren’t any sharp edges underfoot where someone could trip over them; this could lead them onto hard surfaces like concrete floors which could cause injury if stepped upon with full weight behind each step taken by an older person trying out this form of exercise for themselves today.

We hope this list of low-impact workouts has helped you find something that works for your body and lifestyle. Remember, it’s important to listen to your body and seek out advice from a doctor or physical therapist before starting any new exercise program.