No matter how good it may be for your body and your health, the hardest part about exercising for some people is doing just that, exercising. There are many reasons why it may be difficult for someone to get in an hour workout every day, multiple times a week. For some it may be a lack of time, for others, it may be a lack of knowledge. In some cases, it can be due to certain physical conditions that people live with that hinder them from being able to exercise. People living with chronic conditions might suffer from severe pain constantly, which makes it not only difficult to get the urge to exercise but extremely painful to do it as well. That’s why it’s important to know your options if you or someone you know struggles with exercising. Whether that be lack of time, not knowing, or not being able to do more intense workouts, there’s something out there for everyone to stay active and keep their body moving. gentle exercise
What Is Gentle Exercising?
Gentle exercising is exactly what it sounds like, exercising without the intensity. When you are doing some form of gentle exercise, you are working your muscles and being active without doing hardcore work. That means you’re not running on the treadmill for 30 minutes, lifting 30-plus pound weights or doing some intense type of cardio like dancing, or cycling seeing as those are more amplified forms of working out.
With gentle exercising, you don’t get the intensity but you’re still putting in the work. Gentle exercising can be standing up and sitting down three to four times as a workout. It could be standing on your tippy toes or the balls of your feet for 1 minute at a time.
Gentle workouts and exercise keep you active without the excessive work and you may not even have to break a sweat while doing it.
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How Gentle Exercising May Help You
Gentle exercising can help you in more ways than one. If you’re someone who is always on the go, you can incorporate small and easy exercises to keep your body active without having to dedicate a lot of time, energy and effort.
Besides them being less time and energy-consuming, they are also great ways to lose and maintain weight in order to stay fit or reach any fitness goals you may have.
Soft workouts can be extremely helpful if you are someone who lives with stiff joints or are interested in changing up your habits.
If you want to give exercise a try but need something easy and simple to start with or don’t like the idea of working out but know it’s needed, soft workouts can also be helpful.
Gentle exercise is the way to go. You don’t need extreme movement to lose weight or maintain a healthier and better lifestyle. In fact, soft workouts can be just as effective as hardcore ones.
You could be living with something such as arthritis or any stage of breast cancer which can be taxing on the body due to stress, worry, pain and different forms of therapy. Gentle exercising can be extremely effective and beneficial for those struggling with chronic pain.
People who undergo treatment such as chemotherapy still need to exercise but may be in too much pain to do so after treatments. Soft workouts are not only a great way to help them stay active while undergoing or after treatment but they’re recommended seeing as intense exercise could exert too much energy and have negative effects in some instances.
4 Gentle Exercises You Need To Know About
Gentle exercise is easy to start and even easier to maintain. Here are 4 gentle workouts that you should know about:
- Yoga
- Walking
- Cleaning
- Stretching
Yoga is a great exercise to incorporate into your routine. It’s great for helping with your posture, strengthening your core and balance, stretching and can improve your mental health as well.
Walking is simple and easy. It keeps your joints moving and working so they don’t stiffen up and you can change the intensity of it whenever you please. You can do this simply in your home or every morning or at night.
Cleaning is a gentle exercise that everyone does. You exert a lot of energy by cleaning up around the house and doing chores.
Stretching helps loosen the muscles and promotes flexibility that can help make your workouts safer and easier for you to do.
How To Incorporate These Activities Into Your Daily Routine
Start your morning off by stretching as soon as you wake up and throughout the day. Stretching for five to ten minutes in the morning and throughout the day can be a jump start for incorporating gentle exercise into your body.
Getting a walk in every morning, taking the stairs instead of taking the elevator, or even walking your dog every day is a way to incorporate that into your daily routine.
Clean up around the house for 30 minutes every day.
Try some beginner yoga exercises two to three times a week and gradually build on the intensity as you learn and become more comfortable with it.
Staying active to help aid in a better lifestyle is easy, all you need to do is start.