Regardless of your current level of fitness, everyone can benefit from low-intensity exercise. Low-intensity exercise is integral to any fitness routine, whether you’re just starting or exercising every day.
What is Low-Intensity Exercise?
Low-intensity exercise requires much less exertion but still burns calories and improves your health. Typically, your heart rate will be around 50% of your maximum heart rate. This means you could converse with someone without getting out of breath (unless there is a lot of laughing).
Reasons To Do Low-Intensity Exercise
You don’t have to work until you’re huffing and puffing, drenched in sweat, to reap the benefits of exercising. Although working hard for some workouts is essential for your overall health, you can do low-intensity activities to stay healthy and improve your fitness. In fact, here are some reasons why you should do some low-intensity exercises.
You Just Starting To Exercise
If you’re new to exercise, low-intensity activities are a great way to start your fitness journey. You can begin exercising without the pressures of a more challenging routine. Furthermore, activities like walking can help you work your way up to more demanding activities such as running.
Low-intensity activities can help lay the groundwork to form a fitness routine. At the same time, you’ll improve your cardiovascular health and feel better both physically and mentally.
Your Recovering From An Injury
Overtraining can lead to illness, injury, and burnout. As a result, you may have to stop exercising. However, you could partake in low-intensity exercises to stay active while you recover. Furthermore, they can help regain strength and mobility in injured areas. These activities enable you to gradually exercise and work your way back to your regular routine.
Unfortunately, some injuries require complete rest. Before exercising again, consult your doctor or a physical therapist.
Staying Active On Rest Days
Rest days allow your body to recover from the stresses of exercise. Although, the number of rest days can vary depending on your fitness level and the intensity of your workouts. Rest days give your body time to repair and rebuild muscles and tissues.
However, you can replace your rest days with low-intensity rest day workouts. Therefore, you can stay active while recovering from moderate- to high-intensity exercises.
Boost Mood and Release Endorphins
Exercise produces hormones that can make you feel happy and relaxed. Low-intensity exercise releases endorphins that can improve mood, lower stress, and provide a sense of positive well-being.
Regular exercise can help improve your overall mental health and form a positive mindset. As a result, you may look forward to exercising to get your dose of these endorphins.
Improve Your Sleep
Sleep affects almost every system in your body. Specifically, sleep helps repair and maintain your brain, heart, lungs, immunity, mood, and metabolism. Unfortunately, poor or lack of sleep over some time can increase your risk of developing several health conditions.
Fortunately, regular exercise can help you get a restful night’s sleep. Endorphins released from exercise can help reduce daytime sleepiness, help you fall asleep faster, and stay asleep throughout the night.
You Enjoy It
You don’t have to exercise solely to maintain weight and cardiovascular health. In fact, that may happen without much effort by eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly. If exercise feels boring or monotonous, it may indicate you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. Unfortunately, you may become frustrated and stop exercising if you’re not enjoying it.
On the other hand, you’ll want to exercise when you find activities you enjoy. As a result, you may more easily form an exercise habit. When you exercise for life, you’ll increase your chances of staying independent longer and maintaining your quality of life as you age.
Examples of Low-Intensity Exercises
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes of exercise each week. Low-intensity workouts are easy to do and can be sustained for at least 30 minutes, making it easy to achieve this weekly goal. If 30 minutes seems too long, you can break up your workouts into smaller chunks and spread them throughout your day. So, what kind of exercises are low-intensity? Here are a few examples:
Walking
Walking is one of the simplest and most effective low-intensity exercises. In fact, walking every day can maintain or improve your fitness level. No matter where you decide to walk, pick a location you can walk without stopping too often, such as a park, a trail, around your neighborhood, at a shopping mall, or on a treadmill. Regardless, ensure you wear comfortable shoes that provide adequate support for your feet.
You don’t need to walk fast. Your goal is to walk comfortably and maintain a steady and relaxed rhythm. While you walk, swing your arms naturally, keep your back straight, and keep your eyes looking in front of you.
Yoga
Yoga combines physical postures, breathing, and relaxation techniques to improve your overall well-being. It is a safe and effective way to improve physical and mental health. Yoga can improve flexibility, increase strength and balance, and provide mental clarity and focus. It is a low-impact exercise that can be modified to fit your needs and abilities. In fact, it can be practiced by anyone of any age and fitness level.
Cycling
Cycling is a great way to enjoy and explore the outdoors. You don’t have to go fast. Although, you should wear a helmet and dress accordingly.
One of the great things about cycling is that you can pick up the pace to raise your heart rate even more. Moreover, cycling at different paces and speeds is a low-impact activity, which means it is better for your joints than other activities like running.
Are There Other Low-Intensity Exercises?
Yes! Any activity that raises your heart rate a little but allows you to converse with others without huffing and puffing is low-intensity exercise. In fact, this is an opportunity to try new activities. You may find a new activity you enjoy that can help you stay active for life.
The Takeaway
Low-intensity exercises are a great way to stay active and improve overall health and fitness. They can also help you start a new exercise routine, recover from an injury, or exercise between your harder workout days.
When you improve your fitness level with regular exercise, you can reap the benefits that help lift your mood, improve sleep, lower stress, and provide a sense of positive well-being.
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Disclaimer: No content on this site should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
