A low impact workout keeps one foot on the ground, so there is no jumping or running. In one small lab study of young recreational athletes, the peak force through the foot was about 1.2 times body weight when walking. Fast running reached about 2.5 times. This 12-minute routine needs no equipment and fits in a living room.
What is a low impact workout?
This kind of workout is made of moves where at least one foot stays in contact with the floor. Marching, stepping side to side and slow squats all count. Moves where both feet leave the floor and land again, such as jumping jacks or running, are high impact.
The difference shows up in the force of each landing. Researchers had 23 young recreational athletes, 13 men and 10 women, walk and run across a plate that measures force. Walking produced about 1.2 times body weight through the foot, while fast running produced about 2.5 times (Keller et al., 1996).
Slow jogging stood out, because it produced more than 50% higher peak force than walking. So even slow jogging lands much harder than walking.
Low impact describes how a move lands. Low impact cardio, such as marching or stepping in place, keeps one foot down while you move at a steady pace.
How do you do a low impact workout at home?
Clear a space about two steps wide and keep a sturdy chair nearby. Do the six moves in order. One round takes about 5 minutes. Rest for a minute, then do a second round, so the whole routine takes about 12 minutes.
March in place
March on the spot for 1 minute, lifting each knee to about hip height if you can. Swing your arms as you would on a brisk walk.
By the end, you should be breathing a little faster. If you feel unsteady, rest one hand on the chair back.
Step touch
Step your right foot out to the side, then bring your left foot over to meet it. Repeat to the left, and keep going for 1 minute.
Keep your knees soft and let your arms swing. Your feet stay close to the floor the whole time, which is what keeps this move low impact.
Chair sit-to-stand
Sit near the front of the chair with your feet flat and hip-width apart. Stand up without using your hands, then sit back down slowly, 10 times.
Your thighs should feel warm by the last few stands. If the stands feel easy, sit down more slowly.
Wall push-up
Stand an arm's length from a wall and place your hands on it at shoulder height. Bend your elbows to bring your chest toward the wall, then push back, 10 times.
Keep your body in one straight line from head to heels. You should feel it in your chest and the backs of your arms.
Calf raise
Stand behind the chair with your fingertips resting on it. Rise onto the balls of your feet, pause, then lower slowly, 15 times.
Your calves should feel tight and warm. If you wobble, press more weight into your big toes.
Standing side leg lift
Hold the chair with one hand and stand tall. Lift your outside leg out to the side a few inches, keeping your toes pointing forward, then lower it. Repeat 10 times on each side.
You should feel it on the outside of your hip. Keep your trunk upright, so the leg does the lifting.
How hard should the routine feel?
Aim for moderate effort, a steady pace that feels like brisk walking. Your marching pace is a good guide. A treadmill study tested 80 healthy adults aged 41 to 60 (Tudor-Locke et al., 2020). For them, walking at about 100 steps a minute counted as moderate effort.
The researchers rounded that pace into a simple rule of thumb, so treat it as a rough guide.
If the routine feels easy, march with higher knees. If it feels hard, keep one hand on the chair for every move.
How often should you do the routine?
Most days is a good target, because the routine mixes steady movement with muscle work. US guidelines call for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week (CDC, 2026). They also call for 2 days of muscle-strengthening activity, and they say the minutes don't have to come all at once.
The marching and step touches count as moderate movement, and the other moves work your muscles against your own body weight. The routine alone covers only part of the 150 minutes, so walks on other days make up the rest.
If you sit at a desk most of the day, these desk exercises you can do between calls pair well with the routine. For more seated moves, try these chair exercises.
We'd start with one round today, right after you close your laptop. Add the second round once the first feels easy.
Short, regular sessions are also the idea behind our board. Kiwii Move is an interactive whole-body vibration board — a vibration plate with four pressure sensors that turns 10 minutes a day into games you play with your body. You can read more about our interactive vibration board.
Sources
Keller TS et al., Clinical Biomechanics. Relationship between vertical ground reaction force and speed during walking, slow jogging, and running. 1996. europepmc.org
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adult Activity: An Overview. 2026. cdc.gov
Tudor-Locke C et al., International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Walking cadence (steps/min) and intensity in 41 to 60-year-old adults: the CADENCE-adults study. 2020. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov