![]() There is a shorter recovery period from low-impact work, so individuals can take fewer rest days and more easily maintain healthy lifestyles. The main difference is that low-impact work allows individuals to be more consistently active. Low-impact work such as swimming or stationary cycling can still raise the heart rate, improve cardiac function and help manage weight without the physical demands of high-impact activity. ![]() Low-impact work can offer similar benefits to high-impact work without many of the potential negative consequences, and is especially accessible to older individuals or those recovering from injury. It can also lead to amenorrhea, or loss of the menstrual cycle. While increased cortisol levels can boost immunity and reduce inflammation, too much cortisol in the long run can backfire and lead to a worsened immune system, chronic fatigue and mood swings. When we perform a high-intensity and high-impact activity, our brain releases cortisol, a stress hormone, to make the body’s energy sources more available for use. However, training hard every single day without incorporating gentler movements can disrupt hormonal function and lead to overuse injuries, especially to the knees and shoulders. In the past, I would gauge the effectiveness of a workout by the amount of pain I had endured or how much I had sweat. Unfortunately, “low-impact” and “low-intensity” are somewhat loaded terms, since the activities they encompass can be viewed as inferior to more rigorous activities, such as running or high-intensity interval training. Activities such as yoga and walking are considered low-impact and low-intensity. For example, running is a high-impact and high-intensity exercise, while cycling is a low-impact but potentially high-intensity exercise. Low impact refers to the force the joints endure during exercise, while low intensity refers to the level of difficulty and exertion required to perform an activity. Participating in gentler forms of exercise can be just as engaging as high-impact activities without wearing out joints and muscles. Because of my injury, I’ve realized that low-intensity and low-impact exercise is far from being low-effort or low-reward. I’ve been able to work new muscles and challenge myself without the risk of further knee damage. Instead of long runs around Providence and heavy lifting at the Nelson Fitness Center, I’ve switched to low-intensity and low-impact exercises such as Pilates, light weights, yoga and lots of walking. Since my surgery, I’ve modified my daily physical activity significantly. Coming from an active family, it was hard for me to accept a new reality without the high-impact and high-sweat activities that made me feel the strongest. It wasn’t the pain or upcoming surgery that crushed me most about the injury - it was the half-marathon I wasn’t going to run in May, the mountains I wouldn’t climb this summer and the weights I couldn’t lift that disappointed me the most. On a fateful skiing trip this winter break, I tore my anterior cruciate ligament - more commonly known as the ACL - on a sharp turn and had to be transported down the slopes in a snowmobile.
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