WHY LOW IMPACT EXERCISE IS THE ULTIMATE FOR HEALTHY AGING

Written By Lydia Jenvey

As we age the first things to go, in terms of fitness, are stability, mobility and flexibility. These are the reasons why I got into teaching and training in Pilates, and since then I have never looked back. Nor have my clients.

The fact remains that gravity is a killer. Literally and figuratively. The longer we are alive, the more impact gravity has on our bodies, which is why it’s so important to train with resistance. Life and gravity cause impact on our bodies whether we like it or not and so when we exercise we really want to think about how we can use movement to support the body as it ages in a world that causes impact. As we age, it becomes increasingly more important to help counter-balance the effects that impact has on our skeletal frame, joints, muscles etc. which is why much of what I talk about as a trainer comes down to living a non-impact lifestyle training movement that will strengthen without straining, that will support stability and mobility which will essentially help as our bodies go through a natural aging process.

When experts talk about longevity they always talk about it being about quality of life. I will always remember how my physiotherapist put it when I tore both my hamstrings as a contemporary dancer.
What he told me as forever stayed with me and has become a part of my ethos in not only how I train myself but how I approach training others.

He said that I could recover from my injuries and most likely continue dancing until I was 30. Or I could recover from my injuries, learn how to support my body, strengthen it into balance, go on hikes and play with my grandchildren at 80. Longevity. Right there, a pretty poignant example. It’s not about how old you are but rather how capable you are in being able to live without pain, strain, sickness and weakness. Hearing him say this to me was just the push I needed to graduate to a higher level of understanding and wisdom. I also, truthfully, didn’t have the stamina to exist in the dance world with all the pressures that surround that kind of lifestyle, so when he painted the picture clearly for me it was all I needed as a form of encouragement to change my mindset and career trajectory. Hence my shift to the fitness industry.

In the world of fitness where strong sometimes means working out like Donkey Kong, I have learned just how beneficial low-impact exercise and training really is. Taking pressure off the joints means alleviating compounding pressure of the spine. Taking impact out of movement means tighter skin and muscle tone. Being able to stretch while strengthening instead of simply breaking down the body means lower cortisol, inflammation and thus sped-up recovery time. Need I say more?

Unless you are training to be a Spartan, firefighter, law enforcement officer, MMA fighter, professional wrestler (insert any other athletic/vocational goals) chances are you are simply working out to be healthy, capable and one day 80 years old going for a hike with your dog. The need to push, lift and throw down like Shaquil O’Neil is probably not what you are after, so to my point - why, then, would you be training like Shaq? This is something worth thinking about.

In my 13+ year career of working in the field of fitness I have met and trained a lot of people. Athletes, actors, moms, dads, doctors, dentists, lawyers, grandfathers and grandmothers have all come to me for variety of reasons which include;
a) wants to feel stronger, recover better, become healthier
b) get in shape, lose weight, tone up
c) jump higher, build endurance, strengthen stability
d) perform better, strengthen weakness, balance out compensation
e) all of the above & personal goals

NOT ONE person has ever asked for me to;
a) increase inflammation and cortisol
b) break down body and feel consistent pain
c) decrease flexibility, feel tighter
d) create imbalance in the body
I could write more examples of what already sounds ridiculous, but when I speak to clients and colleagues alike I wonder if they realize that exercise, like nutrition, is an individual and personal process that is going to look different for everyone. But one fact remains, that regardless of who you are you are not immune to the effects of gravity, inflammation, stress, cortisol etc. that will affect you not only physically but also emotionally. Low impact is about more than just movement, it’s truthfully an approach to living, it’s a lifestyle.

So what are forms of Low Impact training & what does it look like?
I have created a list to make it simple, accessible an so that you can start thinking about all of the ways you can support your body to sustain quality of life as you age.

LOW-IMPACT EXERCISE:

  • Mat Pilates, Yoga, Barre

  • Swimming/Water Aerobics

  • Essentrics, Gyrotonics

  • Walking, Hiking

  • Kayak, Rowing, Stand Up Paddleboard

  • TRX, Weight Lifting

LOW IMPACT
TRAINING PROGRAMS:

Burn Pilates L.I.T.E. class

There are so many ways to incorporate low impact training into how you live which will not only benefit your body as you age but, as I tell my clients, it will help you do everything you love better. If you love CrossFit, if you play sports, if you are a runner or if you simply have the impact of chasing children around all day, your body will be able to sustain the impact of life and help you stay strong and supported for everything you want to do, or have to do, in life.

Low impact people.
It’s where it’s at.

Lydia Jenvey
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