Low Impact Exercise

Low Impact Exercise that's Great for Any Age.

The world around us is always changing. The generation gap is ever widening as new developments emerge, but health is one concern that affects any age group all the time. A decent diet and exercise regime is essential for everybody to maintain a healthy lifestyle. You can start neither too soon nor too late as young and old alike benefit equally. The question is what exercise is better and more effective in conditioning the entire body and not just one specific area. The answer is a common debate among athletes and doctors alike, is swimming or running a better work out. We will take a more in-depth look into exercise fun, fitness, and injury risks; you will then be able to
Running sports center on track and cross-country, most of which involves individuals within a team (Fourny 4-19). Very few group activities revolve around running. Most recreational running is done singularly as it is hard to talk or interact with others while running. Swimming sports such as synchronized swimming, water polo, diving, water skiing, and surfing all have some basis of team participation, communication and interaction is necessary to do well (Fourny 74-90). Leisure swimming is easily adapted to include family and friends with aquatic games like Marco polo, sunken treasure, and aqua ball, activities that can be fun for all ages (Smith 57). Both swimming and running do have the advantage of being cost effective. Neither activity necessitates much equipment, a decent pair of shoes or bathing suit is all that is required. These reasons make swimming and running fun, inexpensive, and available for
Running is more strenuous on the body as "your feet hit the ground with a force greater than twice your body weight" (Mirkin C12). Swimming is less problematic as the buoyancy of the water deflects the strain on the body (Mirkin C12). The types of injury associated with swimming are minimal and easily cured. Swimmer's shoulder, most common in the elderly, is repaired simply by changing your stroke (Mangi et al.358-359). Irritated eyes, treated by washing out your eyes with clean water and the use of goggles (Mangi et al. 358-359). Swimmer's ear, most common in children, is preventable by using earplugs or antibiotic drops (Mangi et al. 358-359). Running injuries are frequent and often times develop chronically. Stress fractures are preventable with proper running technique and diet. Tendinitis of the knee is a long lasting injury that you can compensate for with heat before a run and ice afterwards. Plantar fasciitis is a debilitating foot injury caused by over use that is treatable with antibiotics (Mangi 324-325). Proper training and technique are necessary for any sport or exercise program to prevent possible