IN NEED OF LOW IMPACT CARDIO IDEAS. HELP!

Hi everyone! I am in need of low impact cardio ideas besides walking. About 3 years ago I had to have reconstructive ankle surgery after a ballet injury so high impact like jumping and running are out of the question for now until i get back to a smaller weight. I am down 27 lbs and have 21 to go to get back to my dancing days but i am starting to get bored with just walking for cardio. Does any one have any ideas of what else i can do, any input would be appreciated.

Replies

  • hopper602
    hopper602 Posts: 204 Member
    elliptical or a rowing machine
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Swimming!
  • Swimming
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
    Boxing-based workouts
  • Squeeks70
    Squeeks70 Posts: 157 Member
    Bicycling!
  • naturesfempower
    naturesfempower Posts: 107 Member
    water aerobics
  • luvmybabeez
    luvmybabeez Posts: 56 Member
    Swimming, yoga and Tai Chi are by far some of the best low impact activities you can do for your body. <3
  • elainecroft
    elainecroft Posts: 595 Member
    Punching/martial arts style workouts can be surprisingly cardio-intense without impact
  • Calisthenics can be both low impact and strength building.
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
    FitnessBlender.com has a 4 week low-impact fat loss program. It's like $7!
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    Another vote for swimming and cycling, and if you want home workout DVDs, Tae Bo and Leslie Sansone Walk At Home have no jumping.
  • Joyce_D
    Joyce_D Posts: 25
    Swimming, bicycling, and I used to do a workout called Turbo jam. There was a moderator who never jumped and lost all her weight keeping her feet on the floor aand keeping it low impact :)
  • DonPendergraft
    DonPendergraft Posts: 520 Member
    elliptical or a rowing machine

    This.
  • scubasuenc
    scubasuenc Posts: 626 Member
    Recumbent bike is also low impact. There are also some low-impact exercise DVDs.

    I have bad knees, so most of my exercise is bike, walking or swimming.
  • newpalfan
    newpalfan Posts: 17 Member
    I have knee issues resulting from knee surgeries that removed much of my cartilage, so I must exercise non-impact. I have had my NordicTrack ski machine for 21 years and have never grown tired of it. You can set the machine to be a very demanding workout. It is still fun to ski.
  • Papillon22
    Papillon22 Posts: 1,160 Member
    I did this one this morning from fitnessblender. It's free!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-kLtTJ5ri8

    Hope it helps.
  • Have you heard of Tai Cheng? Based on the info you have given, this might be a program to look into doing. Also, if this does not look like something you are interested in, I agree with the majority that swimming is an excellent alternative as well. Good luck on your search!
  • ReneeDawalga5100
    ReneeDawalga5100 Posts: 177 Member
    Fitness blender offers low impack options for free. I stream them from time to time.
  • little_firebug
    little_firebug Posts: 22 Member
    I agree with everyone who is saying rowing. It doesn't seem like it could be intense cardio but it works you pretty good and can be pretty fun. Someone suggested boxing and this is also a good possibility if you are just doing bag work. I used to do Thai kickboxing so I don't know a ton about boxing per se but I do know that the conditioning outside of the ring can be very intense and probably not ideal (i.e. jump-rope) for your situation. But if you can find a workout that incorporates just bag work or hitting pads with a trainer as opposed to sparring I think that is a really fun suggestion and you will find it's an intense cardio workout. Good luck!
  • Thanks Everyone for the great advise!