Skip the run: here are six joint-friendly cardio alternatives suggested by experts

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>Whether you’re nursing a joint, have an existing condition or just don’t feel like running, these exercises help get your cardio in</p><p>The runner’s high might be contagious. In 2024, fitness tracking app Strava <a href="https://press.strava.com/en-gb/articles/strava-releases-annual-year-in-sport-trend?utm_source=chatgpt.com">recorded a 59% increase</a> in users attending social running events and run clubs globally. Applications for London’s marathon <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sports/athletics/london-marathon-receives-world-record-840000-applications-2025-race-2024-04-29/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">have increased 40%</a> since 2024, while <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sports/athletics/nyc-marathon-draws-record-applications-more-than-200000-2025-03-05/">New York City’s received about 20% more</a> <a href="https://www.nyrr.org/media-center/press-release/2026_0304_tcsnycmdrawingday">applicants </a>this year. Overall, an estimated 56 million Americans regularly run on a treadmill and 51 million jog, according to a <a href="https://time.com/7309450/most-popular-sport-exercise-fitness/">report</a> from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.</p><p>But running has a reputation for being rough on our joints. There is some good news for those chasing the high: one <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11195863/">2023 study</a> found little relationship between recreational running and arthritis of the hip or knee, and another suggests that the impact of running <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34478109/">causes cartilage to adapt, fortify and thicken</a> over time.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2026/aug/04/joint-friendly-running-cardio-alternative-exercises">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.