Needless to say, when it comes to exercising, this is going to be the greatest energy booster. But of course, that’s not the only thing either, your body needs it, it’s ideal for preventive health, there’s the whole thing about endorphins, and the list goes on. Now, it’s pretty obvious that exercising has a lot of benefits, so many benefits. In fact, when it comes to exercising, feeling the burn is a good thing- it means progress!
However, if you’re currently managing obesity, it’s pretty important to choose the right type of exercise to avoid injury and ensure a safe, enjoyable path to fitness. Yes, sometimes, high-impact exercises might not always be such a good idea.
The thing is, when it comes to exercising, it’s not always this cookie-cutter approach. Sometimes, you can’t do cookie-cutter. While Chloe Ting workouts or even some dancing workouts on YouTube might be incredible- these could do more harm than good; the same goes for hard-cardio classes at your local gym; even running can have its downsides depending on your weight. So, to sum it all up, high-impact exercises, while effective for some, might not be the best starting point. But why?
Joint Stress
It mostly comes down to this: what your joints can handle. When you’re carrying extra weight, your joints are already under more pressure. So, if you were to do high-impact exercises, all this is going to do is just significantly increase this pressure, potentially leading to joint pain or injuries like sprains or fractures. Your knees, hips, and ankles will thank you for starting with lower-impact alternatives that are much kinder to them.
Now, think of it like this: you’re going to have a lot of pain after exercising. Yes, soreness is common, but it’s dull. What you’re going to face won’t be dull- it will hurt. When it comes to knee pain relief after exercising, it’s going to mean you’ll have to be on your feet a lot less, therefore defeating the whole purpose of exercise. Basically, you’re trying to move a step forward, but it’s going to lead to two steps back instead.
Higher Chance for Injury
The risk of injury is higher with high-impact workouts, especially if your body isn’t used to strenuous activity. In general, regardless of your size and weight, there will be a higher chance of injury, but with you being overweight (or even underweight), the chances are even higher for injury. Muscle strains, joint damage, and even back pain can be the unwelcome side effects of jumping into high-intensity routines without proper preparation and conditioning.
There’s the Aspect of Heart Health
To a degree, it’s like a Catch-22. You need to get the blood pumping and the lungs going in order to have stable cardiovascular health, but at the same time, when you’re overweight, it can also be dangerous. It seems fairly contradictive, right? Yes, by all means, vigorous exercise can improve cardiovascular health- so that’s still needed.
But the best approach is to be gradual with all of this. So, instead of just diving into high-intensity workouts, it’s best to have a gradual buildup, as going all-in can be tough on your heart (especially if you’re jumping into this without regular activity). So, get your heart rate to slow down and adapt to all of this.