Summer is breathing down your neck and you are panicking that you havenโt started a workout routine. Relax, we all know the best time to start a regiment was three months ago, but the second best time is today. That only leaves the dilemma of what type of routine to choose. When it comes to working out the important part is to choose the right exercise that suits you and in order to do that you need to consider two things: its intensity and its impact.
Impact:
Impact represents the exercise force on the body, the joints and the bones. The higher the impact, the higher its effect on them. So if you have joint issues like in your knees, ankles or elbows, or if you have weak bones, it’s better for you to choose low impact exercises.
Low Impact: During low impact exercises one or both feet touch the ground at all times.
Examples: Walking, cycling, swimming, yoga, kayaking, biking.
Choose one of these if you have a lot of extra weight to carry in the beginning, have weak joints, or have past injuries that haven’t healed yet.
If the above doesnโt apply to you, step up your game with mixing in high impact exercises.
High Impact: In these workouts, both feet leave the ground at the same time.
Examples: Running, jumping jacks, hopping.
Choose that if you don’t have any injuries, and if you have strong bones and joints that would withstand the force on it.
Intensity:
Intensity represents the vigorousity of the training itself, how hard you’re working and how much effort you exert. So, if you are a beginner you should take it slowly at the beginning and start with low intensity workouts.
A good thing to do is short bursts of high intensity workouts with gaps of low intensity or total rest. This method is called HIIT (High Intensity Intervals Training) exercise. HIIT has a lot of benefits. It improves blood circulation, burns a lot of calories and keeps burning even after you finish working out. Additionally, it boosts your metabolism and doesn’t take a lot of time. HIIT can be done with high impact exercises, low impact or no impact at all. The trick is to alternate intensities.
