Rest or Low Impact Cardio

Take this day to rest up or treat it as an active rest day by doing some form of low impact cardio. The focus on this day is to still move your body. If you’re treating it as a complete rest day( meaning you don’t plan to do any intentional exercise) I recommend implementing some sort of daily movement throughout your day to keep your body moving. You can do this by tending to chores around the house, hobbies that require you to stand or get up and down, running errands and etc.

If you decide to do low impact cardio here are some options I recommend:

  • walking outdoors or indoors. Walking is so easy on the joints and is such an underrated form of cardio in my opinion. If you can find a great nature trail or park to take a nice stroll on I recommend doing so. Being outdoors is a great way to mentally distress while staying active. If you don’t have access to a trail, take a walk around your neighborhood or a school track( if possible). For indoor options; hop on a treadmill. If your gym has a basketball court, track, turf you can walk around those as well to get in your steps.
  • biking/ cycling indoors or outdoors. If you love cycling this is another option to get outdoors and get some fresh air. If you don’t have a bike or don’t feel comfortable cycling outdoors, utilize the stationary bikes at the gym.
  • elliptical machine. The elliptical machine is a good mix between walking and running. It requires a bit more input from your body compared to walking, but there is less impact on our joints compared to running.
  • stair master; I would limit this to 15 to 30 minutes max. Stair Master is a great way to burn lots of calories, but can be easy to overdue. Be gentle on yourself while doing this. You can pair this form of cardio with walking or another form of low impact cardio to break things up.
  • swimming is another form of low impact cardio that doesn’t place a lot of stress on your body and is found to be easy on your joints. It can help build endurance, strength, and help tone your muscles.

Doing 20 to 45 minutes of low impact cardio is a good range of time to move your body on an active rest day. Keep in mind that you can control the intensity in which you perform cardio. I encourage you to listen to your body; know your limits and take them.

On another note, you want to avoid overeating/ splurging out-of-control on junk foods especially on these days… unless it is well deserved of course ;-). Stay mindful of your goals and always do your best. Consistency is King.