Low Impact Cardio Alternatives
Cardio Suggestions:
Motion is lotion! When you are moving in a non-impact way, you are improving blood flow to your knee joint to help move the inflammation out and keep the muscles warm. Cardio can be a huge help to reducing pain and swelling in your knee.
Cycling: Start with the bike seat high so that your knee only has a slight bend. Then as you warm up the joint. Lower the seat downward so that you are bending the knee more. This forces you to use more of the joint so that it is used to both bending and straightening the knee.
Rowing: This is a fantastic cardiovascular challenge. It is low impact, but it allows you to move and strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee. Be slow and work your way into a deeper knee bend as you go.
Swimming: This places no impact on your knee and is a great way to offload the joint while still effectively raising your heart rate. If you are not a swimmer, water walking is another great alternative. Walk with enough effort to raise your heart rate that you can still talk to someone else when walking, but you may have to catch your breath. Walk forward, backward, and sideways. For more variety, push a kick board, use the arm barbells, or push a noodle.
Aqua Aerobics Classes: This is another great way to get some exercise in a low impact environment. Depending on how irritated your knees are, you may want to avoid jumping or some of the deep knee bending that can occur during class. Talk to the instructor if you have concerns.
Elliptical: If you love to run, but your knees don’t, or if you are looking to try something other than walking, try the elliptical. For more of a calorie burn, find one with moveable arm handles. If it is your first time, start slow with no resistance or incline. As you gain confidence, play with the settings and add speed for a greater aerobic challenge. Consider going backward as well to work different muscle groups.
Gentle Yoga: Do your research before joining just any yoga class. There are many different variations. Look for “gentle yoga” or “chair yoga” in the class description. Many yoga classes require you to get on and off the floor as well as do a lot of poses on the floor. If this is an uncomfortable place for you, talk to your instructor. Yoga instructors are very knowledgeable about variations that can be performed to make many of the poses more comfortable, and they may have some straps, props, or blocks to make transitions easier for you.
Tai Chi: This is an ancient form of martial arts, but the movements are slow and very controlled. You move from position to position with control and intention. You rarely go into deep knee bends and most of the class is performed in the standing position. It is great for balance and gentle mobility.
Short Walks Throughout the Day: Rather than burning your knees out with one intense walk, you could try walking in shorter bouts. Go for a short walk in the morning, at lunch, then after dinner in the evening. If the weather does not allow this, walk in your house while you are talking on the phone, during commercials, or while waiting for your food to cook. You would be amazed by how many more steps you can still accomplish in a day with these short bouts of walking!