National Walking Day is celebrated in April to celebrate the easiest way to keep yourself healthy: walking. Studies have shown that brisk walking daily for 30 mins has found immense benefits in the cardiovascular health of people. Daily walking may not seem to be much physical activity but when done regularly helps in preventing diseases like cancer, diabetes, and hypertension.
However, chronic knee pain might make it difficult to do simple activities like walking down the stairs, and exercises can also be a real challenge in that case. We have curated a list of low-impact cardio exercises that can be done quickly if you have chronic knee pain.
1. Walking
Since jogging or running will not suit knee pain, including a brisk walk in your schedule is always a good idea. Just make sure that you wear proper shoes for support. Start walking on flat surfaces, then slowly, you can progress onto hikes as your muscle strength improves. If you are scared due to the injury and the pain involved, what better day is it to start walking regularly than National Walking Day.
2. Swimming
Another great form of cardio exercise involves the complete body. Just make sure you do not perform the movements that involve your knees, like pushing off the wall. You can slowly upgrade your training by doing spot jogging underwater, adding underwater weights, and doing water aerobics.
3. Elliptical Training
Working out on an elliptical is an excellent alternative to running on the treadmill. Running can increase the pain and inflammation of the joint. If you have time constraints, you can also try the under-table elliptical trainer that will help you train while working. Check out the sturdy range of elliptical trainers from Ativafit that will benefit you immensely.
4. Rowing
Rowing is an excellent way of building core strength by using your upper body. It is a whole-body workout, and you can slowly up your game by adding more resistance and varying the tempo and resistance.
5. Other Bodyweight Exercises
Bodyweight exercises have gained popularity recently due to their ease and no requirement for any type of equipment. Try doing the exercises consistently by maintaining the proper form under the supervision of a trainer, especially if you are a beginner.
General Tips To Avoid Further Pain
- Wear comfortable clothes
- Warm-up before starting any exercise
- Always stretch the muscles after the session
- Keep yourself hydrated
- Be consistent with your regime
Word Of Caution
Before you begin any exercise, it is essential to know the exact cause of your knee pain. It is recommended to consult your physician before adding any new activity to your daily routine.
When you have knee pain, the last thing you would want is to trigger it with exercises. So once you get yourself evaluated and your doctor gives a green signal to the new activities, be gentle with yourself and start slowly.
The Bottom Line
If running or any high-intensity workout is not suitable for you, then don’t think that you can’t sweat it out with a low-intensity workout. Whatever your fitness goal, including a low-intensity cardio workout, is always a good idea, especially when you have some pain in vital areas like the knee joint.
Related: 3 Reasons You Will Fall in Love with Ativafit Rowing Machine