Low impact exercise
Have you all been keeping up with the Yahoo! Answers “Get Fit Program“?
If you remember from my post a few weeks ago, “New Year’s Resolutions: Do you keep them?“, one of my goals this year is to get fit. This is something that I am going to be asking you all about over the coming months, as I strive to improve my life in general – plus I need someone to keep me motivated!
All the advertising out there on TV and radio, in magazines and newspapers, even on billboards and other signage outside, screams the message about Australia’s rising weight and fitness problems. Whilst I could stand to lose a few kilos (I’d be lying if I said I was a fit young thing anymore!), I’m not going to obsess over it. What I’d rather focus on is improving things like my lifestyle, eating and exercise habits etc.
I am already active and what I’d like to start off with is, adding some exercise to my week. I suffer from old injuries to my knees, so unfortunately old staples such as running and strenuous gym sessions are already out for the time being, which points me toward low impact exercise. I have access to a bike, and actually use the bike in getting to work sporadically. I also have a few swimming pools and centres around my local area. So which would you recommend?
Answer via the question above or leave a comment below 
Kate
Community Manager
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I recommend choosing the one that you enjoy the most – you’re much more likely to do it on a regular basis if you enjoy it!
The other consideration would be technique. If you have a good swimming technique – Wonderful! But if not, then you’ll find results will take longer and you may cause strain and injury.
The same applies for bike riding – it is just easier to ride with decent technique compared with swimming.
People often say that cycling is great for people who have knee injuries caused by running etc but I think that it is really important to make sure you’re riding correctly, otherwise you can cause some nasty damage to your knees.
One of the easiest things to do to ensure you are riding correctly is making sure the bike is the right fit for you. If you google it you can find lots of ways to measure this. Paying for a bike fit can get $$$ (but probably not necessary if you’re not doing 100s of kms each week.)
The other thing to watch is something called “cadence”. Cadence is the rate at which your legs are spinning around. Ideally you should be aiming for around 90RPM. Again, you can buy cadence meters to keep an eye on this but at its most basic – just keep your legs spinning nice and quick. While there is a lot of science behind it, one of the most important reasons is to protect your knees. That’s why there are gears on bikes! You should never be struggling to push the pedal down. If you’re on a steep hill – just use your easy gears or stand up with your butt off the seat.
In general, swimming probably provides more of an all body work out. However, mountain bike riding or riding up and down hills can give your arms a good work out too!
Hope this was a little bit helpful!