I’m always on the lookout for challenging but manageable low-impact cardio workouts. There can be many reasons to avoid high-impact movements in your workouts—perhaps you’re returning to exercise after injury, want to go easy on your joints or, if you’re working out at home, you need to be considerate to your neighbors. In my case, I’m seven months pregnant and find that low-impact cardio allows me to maintain my fitness without putting too much strain on my body.
I normally do a couple of Pilates-based strength training sessions a week and two or three 30-minute cardio workouts to maintain my fitness. It can get boring doing the same types of workouts again and again so I enjoy mixing things up. When I came across this 10-minute no-jumping cardio workout I had to give it a go. It’s by Jacinta Brown at Posture Tonic, a Melbourne-based Pilates and movement platform.
I liked that there was no talking—just clearly demonstrated, easy-to-follow movements and a countdown clock that keeps track of each exercise or rest period.
Each exercise lasts 45 seconds and is followed by a 10-second rest before you move into the next exercise, which is demonstrated during the rest period. The whole routine takes just 10 minutes—a very manageable amount of time.
If you’re up for more of a challenge, you can hit replay and do a second round of the workout. “One is good, but two rounds is ultimate!” writes Brown in the caption.
The first round was a nice challenge, but I went for a second round and felt like I’d got my heart rate up and a satisfying sweat on—that’s my exercise for the day done.
I found the pace of the exercises just right, starting with simple movements that didn’t challenge my coordination too much. When I got too out of breath later in the workout, I slowed things down a little. The upbeat music helped me find my rhythm although it got a little annoying by the end of the second round.
This workout isn’t intended as a pregnancy workout so I made some modifications to some of the moves. Mountain climbers aren’t suitable after the first trimester, so I did high knee marches instead which fired up my core and got my heart pumping. I modified the Pilates squat burpees, doing them on an incline with my hands on a chair.
The most challenging move of this workout was rolling like a ball to stand, without touching the ground. I did a modified pregnancy-friendly version of rolling like a ball, holding the back of my thighs and rolling back and forth, and skipped the standing part.
I still found the workout varied and challenging, and thoroughly recommend it. Give it a try if you’re looking for a low-impact cardio workout and remember it’s totally fine to adapt it to your needs and situation.