Looking to lose a good amount of weight but don’t want to exert tension on your body?
The solution is simple: GET LOW!
According to Dr. Brian Mehling, Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon and Partner at Mehling Orthopedics, some fun, low impact activities can help motivate you and slowly train your body without having a negative impact on your tender knees and joints.
Here are 10 exercises that burn maximum calories with minimal exertion:
Ballet-inspired workouts are done at a cardio pace to keep your heart rate up. The combination of sculpting moves and light weights means that you burn up to 650 calories in one class! Doing regular barre workouts can also boost your metabolism and tone your muscles.
Walking is an easy and stress-free way to get your body moving. Dr. Mehling recommends investing in a pair of good walking shoes to further minimize the impact and to start out slow so your body can get used to the activity.
Take a trip down memory lane by putting some skates and putting some 90s tunes on blast. Rollerblading may seem like child’s play but gliding actually helps you to burn calories without putting any strain on your limbs.
Rowing does exactly what crunches are supposed to do and more without the hassle and pain. It works on your arms and core, in addition to strengthening your back and leg muscles. Think of rowing as a total body workout that can up to 600 calories an hour when done at a fairly speedy pace.
Dr. Mehling recommends simply going to take a swim or join a fun water aerobics class at your local gym. “Water will provide you with both residence and support and is one of the lowest impact activities known to health and fitness instructors,” he explains.
Cycling (indoors or out) is one of the best low-impact cardiovascular workouts that you can do. Not only is it a fun activity, cycling also doesn’t put unnecessary pressure on the joint so there’s less chance of long-term damage with this activity.
Bust out those yoga pants, it’s time to Savasana! Dr. Mehling says that not only does yoga relieve stress and tension it also strengthens key muscles that your body needs to support itself and protect its joints. There are different styles of yoga to suit almost anyone, but power yoga offers an average burn of about 400 calories per hour.
Some fitness instructors say an hour of Zumba is like the equivalent of a mid-distance run. We can’t confirm that that’s true but Zumba certainly provides good cardio and strength training that burns up to 700 calories an hour. Plus, those snazzy dance moves will never get boring and that leads up to…
Dancing is a super sexy and fun way to drop a dress size. It doesn’t exert a lot of pressure on the knees and joints so dancing great for your body and even greater as a workout. So next time you don’t feel like going to gym, grab a partner and practice some twists and turns instead.
Think Tai Chi is only for the elderly? Think again. Sometimes referred to as meditation in motion, Tai Chi, is a good low-impact activity that gives your bones a break. Regular practice can even help ward off headaches and improve flexibility over time.