8 Best Low-Impact Workouts for Older Adults

Stay fit, strong, and injury-free with these exercise options.

High-impact, gut-busting workouts may have been effective in your twenties, but exercising for long-term health and wellness means being kinder to your body. That’s not only true for the roughly 50 million Americans afflicted with some form of arthritis; it applies to everyone.

As the years pass, your bone density and joint support naturally start to wane. That doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy a calorie-burning, muscle-building workout. Here are eight great options for staying fit, strong, and healthy without hammering your joints.

1. TRX Suspension Training

Also known as “total-body resistance exercise,” TRX is a strap suspension system that uses gravity and your own body weight to develop strength, balance, and flexibility.

“Suspension training is a safe way to get your strength training in, and a great benefit is that it strengthens your core,” says Dan Go, C.P.T., a Toronto-based personal trainer and founder of Go Girl Body Transformation. “Another big benefit of this type of training is that it provides more proprioception, or body awareness, allowing you to exert more control over your body.”

The rope-like device can be intimidating at first, so it’s a good idea to take a class or work with a trainer when you’re just getting started. Once you’re comfortable, you can simply hang a suspension trainer over any solid doorframe and use the attached handles to perform hundreds of exercises.

2. Swimming

Swimming has long been known as an excellent low-impact workout—and for good reason. Moving in water both supports your joints and provides resistance to strengthen your muscles and bones. Both swimming and water aerobics are great workouts for your heart and for increasing range of motion.

Another perk: You rarely (if ever) feel overheated in water. The downside is that this can make it harder to notice when you need more fluid, so play it safe by drinking plenty of water before you dive in.

3. Yoga

“Yoga is a great low-impact exercise that helps build a strong core, along with improving balance and muscular endurance,” says Jake Boly, C.S.C.S., a personal trainer in New Jersey. “These are all essential as we age, so we can reduce the likelihood of serious injury from falls or other possible missteps.”

A regular yoga practice can also improve bone density, according to a 10-year study published in Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation. Just 12 minutes of yoga every other day is enough to do the trick. Get started with a SilverSneakers yoga class.

4. Walking

Walking is hard to beat when it comes to staying active every day. It gives continuous work to the muscles and connective tissues responsible for stabilizing your feet, ankles, knees, and hips while also burning calories. The faster you go and the more hills and steps you climb, the more you burn. Click here to continue reading.