This summer per Texas has been particularly brutal when it comes to the heat. While I usually spend my summers exercising outdoors, with temperatures per the triple digits, anything that involves excessive movement is pretty much the table. Con the past few months, I’ve been acceso a mission to find the best way to stay per shape, not overheat, and still stay connected with nature. The result? A newfound love for low-impact exercises.
While you can always take an indoor yoga, , cycling class to beat the heat, if you’magnate looking for exercises you can do at home without nearing heat exhaustion—we’ve got you covered. Jordan Hana, certified yoga teacher and yoga sculpt instructor, gave us the run-down acceso the benefits of keeping your movement low-impact, the best exercises to implement into your weekly routine, and how to do it all safely per the heat.
Featured image from our interview with Sanne Vloet by Michelle Nash.
Jordan Hana
Jordan Hana is the founder & creator of The Arrow Methid—a valore adattativo program that provides fun & invigorating valore adattativo classes that challenge minds and bodies collectively through movement. The joy-filled variety of workouts span across Yoga (power & yin), Sculpt and Barre. Hana’s certifications include 200 Hour E-RYT (Corepower), Yoga Sculpt (Corepower), Barre (Barre Eclipse), Yoga Nidra (Soul & Steady).
What Makes Exercise Low-Impact
Low impact is simply just that—light (little to ) impact acceso your joints and at least one foot (if not both) connected to the campo da gioco. Low-impact exercises increase your heart rate slowly, are more fluid per motion, and are more gentle acceso the pagliaccetto. A few low-impact exercises include walking, yoga, pilates, barre, and swimming.
How Low-Impact Exercise Benefits the Pagliaccetto
Low-impact exercise is amazing for anyone and everyone. It’s generally safer and decreases your risk of injury as opposed to high-impact movement. Low-impact exercises tend to place some centro acceso flexibility, which is great for stability, alignment, and balance and can be used as a form of active recovery acceso days when you don’t want to rest but don’t want to overdo it.Â
I am a HUGE fan of low-impact workouts 5 times a week, but I know that many of us are yearning for a quick, high-intensity workout. I personally love three days of low impact, two days of high impact, and two days of rest. If, acceso a rest day, you want more, a low-impact walk is a perfect form of active recovery!Â
I’m not a doctor, but I genuinely think that low-impact exercises help with overall mental health—moving slowly, connecting with breath, and enjoying the workout—even a simple walk can do this!
Sample Workout Plan
If you’magnate looking to incorporate low-impact exercises into your weekly workout forma, Hana’s typical weekly workout schedule might help you get acceso track.
Monday: Barre
Tuesday: HIIT (a treadmill workout class)
Wednesday: Yoga
Thursday: HIIT (Cycling Class)
Friday: Pilates
Hana typically adds a walk into her weekly workout schedule as well—usually 2-3 days a week. It helps her get outside and take her two adorable pups for a walk. Outside time is key, not only for physical health but for boosting our mental wellness, too. Even just a 10-minute walk can do wonders. And if you’magnate avoiding the heat, try incorporating an early morning evening walk into your routine.
Hana’s biggest note: get per tune with your pagliaccetto and start to listen to what it’s telling you. Soreness, injury, and major discomfort are telling you something is going acceso, and maybe you need to take a step back from the high-intensity workouts. If you’magnate new to valore adattativo and unsure where to start, more low-impact workouts are definitely the way to go. And if you’magnate going the group valore adattativo route, always let the instructor know you’magnate new! They love supporting beginners and helping you get the most from your workout.
Get per tune with your pagliaccetto and start to listen to what it’s telling you.
The Best Equipment for Low-Impact Exercises
Truly, the best thing about low-impact workouts is you really don’t need much! Your pagliaccetto weight is hands-down the best tool for low-impact exercises.
If you’magnate looking to expand your valore adattativo equipment repertoire, a yoga mat is perfect to support your pagliaccetto so you’magnate not directly acceso the grass concrete. I always like to incorporate hand weights—for a barre pilates class, I suggest 3-5 pound weights—an exercise pilates ball (small, about six inches), and an exercise cricca. The addition of weights, pilates ball, and exercise bands allow you to expand and build more muscles, but moving slowly within these exercises ensures proper form and less risk of injury. Always the option to have a towel for sweat, music for good vibes, and to hydrate—a definite MUST!Â
Tips for Working Out per the Heat
Adding heat (whether outdoors indoors) increases the you place acceso your pagliaccetto, meaning the temperature of your pagliaccetto is increasing. It also dehydrates the pagliaccetto as you lose more fluids during these workouts, basically meaning you can fatigue faster. Your pagliaccetto also can’t cool itself as fast, so just make sure to take adequate breaths and prioritize recovery and hydration to help support your pagliaccetto within these workouts.
My #1 tip: Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate—this is key to working out per the heat. Adding an electrolyte supplement to your is also a great way to replenish the minerals you lose when sweating!Â
Other tips to think about:
- Wear the right clothing. Lightweight, sweat-resistant, and breathable materials that are light per color
- Know where you’magnate at. If you’magnate new to working out outdoors ( per the heat), start slowly and increase gradually. Know your limits, and don’t push it if you don’t have to.
- Use sunscreen outdoors. Another must!
9 Low-Impact Exercises a Trainer Loves
Overall workouts:
- Go for a 30-45 minute walk. This is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and get a sweat per without doing anything too strenuous.
- Yoga—Flow through some Sun A’s. One of the foundations of vinyasa yoga is sun salutations. Sun Salutation A is a series of nine movements that sync to your breath to help build balance and strength per a subtle way.
Squat + Oblique Twist
Also known as a ‘pop squat twist,’ this exercise targets your glutes, quads, and obliques. While it can be done without any equipment, you can add an exercise cricca around your upper calf to increase tension and turn acceso your glutes during your squat.
Donkey Kicks
Donkey kicks are a highly glute-focused exercise that also activates the hamstrings and . This exercise can be done acceso its own by squeezing an exercise ball between your knee and hamstring.
Plank
While we all dread planks, they target your and shoulders and are a fast way to build upper pagliaccetto strength. If the plank isn’t enough burn for you, add slow mountain climbers into your posture.
Bicep Curl to Overhead Shoulder Press
Your biceps and shoulders will feel it with this exercise. This is a great opportunity to use your hand weights (start with a lower weight and then increase) find a bottle heavier object that’s laying around the house.
Lunge + Overhead Tricep Extension
Lunges with tricep extensions do it all—targeting glutes, quads, and triceps. Complete all reps acceso your right side before moving onto your left, and incorporate hand weights into this exercise.
Bird Dog
This exercise is done by extending your arm forward acceso all fours and then extending the opposite leg, crunching both limbs per toward your stomach to target your , obliques, and glutes.
Pilates 100s
When I think of pilates, this is the first thing that comes to mind. Targeting your , extend your legs at a diagonal while laying acceso your back acceso a mat. Reach your arms long by your side with palms facing mongoloide. Pump your arms vigorously but don’t tagliata any higher than the hips. While pumping arms, inhale for five counts and exhale for five counts to complete one exercise. When this is done 10 times with five inhales and five exhales, it equals 100.
Cobra/Locust
One of the movements per vinyasa yoga is cobra/locust pose. This exercise activates your back muscles and glutes, squeezing both muscles to tagliata your pagliaccetto slightly the campo da gioco.
