6 Benefits of Low-Impact Exercise

Most often, we hear how much low-impact exercise relieves your joints. However, there are so many other benefits of low-impact exercise that don’t always make headlines. At Wellis New England, we help change that by highlighting how our customers can transform their lives through low-impact exercise in their swim spa. 

By exercising in water, you give yourself the advantage of buoyancy. The water reduces the force with which your body weight lands on your bones and joints. This is why exercise in a swim spa, where you have a range of programmable flow currents at your fingertips, is such a game changer — especially for people with injuries and mobility challenges.

The benefits of low-impact exercise are many. Here, we have narrowed it down to six of our favorites. Keep these in mind as you’re considering ways to enjoy your swim spa.

1. Reduced Likelihood of Injury

As we explained above, the first benefit of low-impact exercise people usually think of is reduced pressure on their joints. But there’s more to that phenomenon than avoiding joint trauma. Low-impact exercises enhance your capacity to move and control your joints. Everything from your knees to your hips gets more active mobility training when you put yourself through low-impact workouts like the kind you do in a swim spa. This translates to a reduced risk of injury when you proceed to more high-impact activities in the future. 

2. Effective Calorie and Fat Burn

Your workout doesn’t have to be all about running shoes and jumping jacks to burn fat and calories. In fact, you can burn even more fat and calories working out in a swim spa than you would on dry land for the same duration. Why? By submerging yourself in water, you surround yourself with a medium that has more resistance than air. The result is a high-resistance, low-impact practice that delivers a more efficient burn.  

3. Increased Flexibility and Range of Motion

Have you ever noticed that you could stretch your limbs a little farther when you’re in the water? With the water supporting your muscles and joints, your body puts up less of a fight when you summon your inner ballet dancer. With regular low-impact exercise, you’re bound to see improvements in your flexibility and range of motion.

4. Better Posture and Movement Quality

High-impact exercise can be useful, but its quick pace can divert your attention away from your alignment and muscle engagement. Low-impact exercise tends to be more methodical in its pace and movements. This gives you an opportunity to emphasize your posture and movement quality, which contributes to better balance and coordination.

5. Less Recovery Time Needed

Yes, crushing a high-impact workout is an impressive feat. However, it does require recovery time. The more intense the workout, the more recovery you’ll need. Skipping that step puts you at significantly greater risk of injury and long-term issues. Low-impact exercise, however, doesn’t call for as much downtime post-workout. That means you’ll be able to go back into your swim spa sooner and still enjoy the same high calorie burn.

6. Stress Management

Stress management is always a priority. And just as high-impact exercise can put undue stress on your body at times, so too can it stress your mind if you’re not careful. Too much high-impact activity can trick the brain into entering fight or flight mode. With that comes the production of cortisol, a stress hormone notorious for increasing our appetites and storing fat in our bodies. Low-impact exercise helps keep cortisol at bay by limiting the hard-hitting stress your body endures. 

Your Benefits of Low-Impact Exercise

How will low-impact exercise enhance your quality of life as a new season approaches? Contact Wellis New England today, and we will help you find out. Whether its pain relief, weight loss, or stress reduction you desire, our swim spas will help you discover a new pathway to your wellness goals.