Low impact exercises are those that do not involve putting excess strain or weight on your muscles or joints when in motion. These kinds of exercises include swimming, yoga, gentle mat Pilates, light walking, biking, light strength training, water aerobics, and cycling. This is a great way to begin exercise if you experience joint pain, haven't exercised in a while, or deal with health conditions like adrenal fatigue that limit your ability to do more strenuous exercise. The key is doing the right kind of exercise, with the right intensity, and at the right time so as to gain strength without exacerbating any health issues you may experience. These exercises are also a great choice for the summertime.
Low impact exercise is particularly important for people with Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS), which affects the adrenals' ability to produce cortisol. Because some exercise can increase your body's demand for cortisol, and in the later stages of AFS your body's ability to produce cortisol is very low, over-exercising with this condition can trigger serious conditions. Indeed, if you are in an advanced stage of AFS, exercise could be very dangerous and should only be done with your doctor's approval. However, if your AFS is not as advanced, gentle exercises are often the best option. That is why it is so important to know the best low impact exercises for adrenal fatigue.
If you have AFS, the non-Addison's form of adrenal dysfunction, your body's stress response is unable to keep up with life's chronic stressors. When this happens, your body’s cortisol levels first increase as your body tries to respond to the chronic stress. However, as the condition progresses, your adrenals can fatigue and become unable to keep up with demands, leaving cortisol levels to drop. This cortisol dysregulation can also severely disrupt other hormone levels in the body through the Hormone circuit of the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) Stress Response, your body's global response to stress.
Although trying to exercise with adrenal fatigue can be a challenge, low impact exercises can help to decrease the level of cortisol the body releases. This could help to ameliorate AFS symptoms. With gentle exercises, there is less stress from the movements to force your body to release cortisol. The lower the intensity of the exercise, the better it is for keeping your cortisol levels in check.
A low energy state and fatigue are characteristic of adrenal fatigue which makes exercising such a challenge. However, the key is to strike the right balance with low impact exercises and getting enough rest to avoid overexertion. The last thing you need is to experience adrenal crashes and worsening AFS symptoms. It’s important that you tailor your exercise to match your energy state. Even if you are doing gentle exercises, you should pay attention to your body's signals and the time you spend exercising.
Get enough rest between your workouts to allow your body to recover before your next exercise session. Stick to your sleep routine and get adequate sleep. Overutilization of your limited energy and over-exercising could potentially trigger adrenal crashes and exhaust your body's limited resources.
There’s no need to avoid exercise entirely, but it's important to adjust your exercise program to promote healing and minimize the risk of energy depletion and adrenal crashes. Your state of adrenal function is key to your exercise routine if adrenal recovery is the goal. Always consult with your physician before starting an exercise program.
While exercise can help with adrenal fatigue symptoms, you don’t want to overdo it. It’s best to aim to exercise about two to three times per week. This will help you to gradually boost energy levels. Begin with exercising for 15 to 20 minutes per session, depending on the level of fatigue you are experiencing or how strong you feel. You can gradually increase your time, frequency, and difficulty level as your adrenal health improves.
It’s important to remember that any form of exercise could potentially worsen your adrenal fatigue symptoms. Your choice of exercise should depend on your stage of adrenal fatigue. When recovering from the condition, low impact exercises are the best option.
However, If you are in the advanced stage of adrenal fatigue, hold off on exercising to not experience adrenal crashes. Just doing something very gentle like adrenal breathing exercises may be enough for your current state of health. You want to be cautious.
Low impact exercise activities can help manage your stress levels if you have adrenal fatigue. Exercise can help modulate cortisol levels, reducing your reactivity to stress. Since you won’t be overexerting yourself doing these kinds of exercises, it will be a stress-relief activity and not a stress-causing one.
Low impact exercises can help to enhance your flexibility and strength, reducing your risk of injuries and helping boost your overall health. Since these exercises are gentler on the body and cause less stress on the adrenal glands, you minimize the risk of overstimulating them.
Gentle, low impact exercises help to calm your mind and body and encourage a restful state which helps to facilitate adrenal recovery. They also make you more likely to experience deeper sleep for longer. Exercise also stimulates hormones in your body that support your body’s natural circadian rhythm. This helps your body to get the rest it needs to recover.
Even gentle exercises can help to promote a positive mood and minimize stress. According to an article in Frontiers in Psychiatry, low impact exercises can help boost mood by improving depression symptoms. When you exercise, this happens when your body releases endorphins, the feel-good hormones. This improved mood naturally decreases your cortisol and adrenaline levels.
Gentle exercises can help to enhance your metabolism, which will allow your body to break down and use nutrients more efficiently. Your body will be better able to get the nourishment it needs to fuel itself and make you feel more energized.
Walking is a low impact exercise that increases your heart rate and enables you to move your arms and legs while maintaining a level of relaxation in the process. It’s an exercise that can boost your metabolism, circulation, and cardiovascular system, but is gentle on your knees and hips. Additionally, even a brisk walk is not strenuous. You can get in a good walk without feeling exhausted.
To start walking, be sure it invest in quality running shoes that are lightweight but support your feet. A good way to start walking is for three times per week for 15-30 minutes at a time.
With adrenal fatigue, this is another great low impact exercise that can help with your recovery. Yoga is a type of total body movement that emphasizes stillness of mind, meditation, practice, purposeful movement, forms, and repetition. For those with adrenal fatigue, it’s best to try yoga exercises that promote deep breathing and help reduce fatigue. Slow movements and poses that are gentle and restful are ideal.
According to a study published in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, yoga provides such benefits as an improvement in your body’s flexibility and balance, a decrease in your level of stress, a boost in your quality of life, and an improvement in body weight maintenance and immunity.
Furthermore, the three gentlest yoga poses for adrenal recovery are the Easy Pose (Sukhasana), Child’s Pose (Balasana), and Corpse Pose (Savasana). These very gentle, calming poses will help soothe your nervous system and restore balance to your adrenals. Dr. Lam has created a whole video series on Adrenal Fatigue Yoga Exercises that he himself used to recover when at his worst with adrenal fatigue.
Set to the appropriate pace, cycling can be placed in the category of low impact exercises. Whether you have a bike at home or your gym offers indoor cycling, you can ride at the pace and intensity that suits you. More importantly, you can cycle without overexerting yourself. It will help to keep your cardiovascular health in shape and limit the strain on the body. Additional benefits that cycling provides include building and strengthening your muscles, fighting stress, and improving balance and joint mobility.
You should aim to pedal continuously but at a slow to moderate pace. Furthermore, this is a great exercise option for the warm summer months.
Pilates benefits mimic that of yoga and are among the low impact exercises that can help with adrenal fatigue recovery. This type of exercise emphasizes total body movements that help improve alignment, flexibility, endurance, and deep breathing. Also, with gentle Pilates exercise moves you can strengthen your core, lower back, and hips, and connect your body and mind, helping to strengthen your entire body. A review in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies suggests that Pilates effectively improves muscle strength, balance, and quality of life. Furthermore, not only is mat Pilates an accessible form of exercise, but it’s also comfortable for people with adrenal fatigue.
You can start with only 10 to 20 minutes of mat Pilates for three to four times per week. With Pilates, slower is better with each movement.
If your body can’t handle full weight-training, resistance band low impact exercises are the ideal alternative. Resistance band training provides the benefits of weight training minus the strain from performing physical activity. You’ll still be able to put your body against resistance, building muscle strength and stamina.
To do this exercise, you’ll want to have at least two sets of resistance bands that you can use for your exercises — one light, and the other medium, for instance. Also, your bands should have varying tension levels. You should make your selection according to what’s ideal for your specific needs and level of fitness. Additionally, remember to maintain proper form and posture when doing this type of exercise to avoid injuries. Consider working with a trainer if you need guidance and support.
Swimming is another of the low impact exercises that can help to strengthen you and keep you in shape as you recover from adrenal fatigue. Swimming is a good way to avoid overextending your body and burning out. However, don’t jump straight into swimming laps, as this could be strenuous for you and leave you unexpectedly exhausted. Consider that with swimming you are working every muscle group in the upper and lower body, so you first need to focus on increasing your baseline endurance before you decide to swim laps. Swim with a level of relaxation and do not rush as you help your body heal.
Some other gentle exercises that you can think about adding to your exercise routine include:
In the warm summer months, the middle of the day is a terrible time to exercise, since the sun is nearing peak temperature levels. Keep in mind that 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. is generally considered to be the hottest time of the day during the summer. As such, it’s ideal to either exercise before or after this time slot, or before 9 a.m., or after 7 p.m. in the summer to avoid the sun’s excessive heat. Stick to exercising indoors if the outdoor temperature is 80 degrees or higher and the humidity is over 80%.
Low impact exercises can make a huge difference for people who are recovering from adrenal fatigue. These kinds of exercises are gentle and do not put a strain on your muscles and body overall. Still, you mustn’t overdo exercising and risk adrenal crashes. Instead, ensure that the intensity, frequency, and timing of your exercises support adrenal healing and recovery.
Whether you choose to walk, swim, or cycle, gentle exercises can help you to restore your health. The key is paying attention to your body and exercising the right way for your body's needs.
If you're struggling with adrenal fatigue and don't know what type of exercises to do, you can also check out Dr. Lam's Nutritional Adrenal Fatigue Recovery Program, which provides you education on the right type of exercise, food, and supplements to take in a detailed 30 day plan. It also provides comprehensive education on how to recover in the right way. Click here to start your health recovery.
Khanal, Hari, and Uttam Khanal. "Benefits, Barriers and Determinants of Practicing Yoga: A Cross Sectional Study from Kathmandu, Nepal." Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, vol. 12, no. 1, 2021, pp. 102-106, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaim.2021.01.007.
Metz, Vanessa Raquel et al. “Effects of pilates on physical-functional performance, quality of life and mood in older adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.” Journal of bodywork and movement therapies vol. 28 (2021): 502-512. doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2021.06.005
Xie, Yumeng et al. “The Effects and Mechanisms of Exercise on the Treatment of Depression.” Frontiers in psychiatry vol. 12 705559. 5 Nov. 2021, doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.705559
Some low impact exercises that can help with adrenal fatigue recovery include walking, cycling, swimming, resistance band exercise, yoga, and Pilates. These exercises are beneficial because they put less strain on the body, while restoring balance, strengthening muscles, improving mood and flexibility, and leaving you with more energy.
