Skip the run: here are six joint-friendly cardio alternatives suggested by…
August 8, 2026 6:11am
Whether you’re nursing a joint, have an existing condition or just don’t feel like running, these exercises help get your cardio in. The runner’s high might be...
Whether you’re nursing a joint, have an existing condition or just don’t feel like running, these exercises help get your cardio in. The runner’s high might be contagious. In 2024, the fitness tracking app Strava recorded a 59% increase in users attending social running events and run clubs globally. The Guardian reported this update on 2026-08-04 with additional details in the linked source coverage.
5-Second Takeaway
Whether you’re nursing a joint, have an existing condition or just don’t feel like running, these exercises help get your cardio in.
Why This Matters
The runner’s high might be contagious. In 2024, the fitness tracking app Strava recorded a 59% increase in users attending social running events and run clubs globally.
What Changed
- The Guardian published this report on 2026-08-04.
- The headline focus is "Skip the run: here are six joint-friendly cardio alternatives suggested by experts".
- Whether you’re nursing a joint, have an existing condition or just don’t feel like running, these exercises help get your cardio in.
- The runner’s high might be contagious.
- In 2024, the fitness tracking app Strava recorded a 59% increase in users attending social running events and run clubs globally.
- Applications for London’s marathon have increased 40% since 2024, while New York City’s received about 20% more applicants this year.
- Overall, an estimated 56 million Americans regularly run on a treadmill and 51 million jog, according to a report from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.But running has a reputation for being rough on our joints.
- There is some good news for those chasing the high: one 2023 study found little relationship between recreational running and arthritis of the hip or knee, and another suggests that the impact of running causes cartilage to adapt, fortify and thicken over time.
Key Facts
- The Guardian published this report on 2026-08-04.
- The headline focus is "Skip the run: here are six joint-friendly cardio alternatives suggested by experts".
- Whether you’re nursing a joint, have an existing condition or just don’t feel like running, these exercises help get your cardio in.
- The runner’s high might be contagious.
Key Numbers
- The Guardian published this report on 2026-08-04.
- In 2024, the fitness tracking app Strava recorded a 59% increase in users attending social running events and run clubs globally.
- Applications for London’s marathon have increased 40% since 2024, while New York City’s received about 20% more applicants this year.
- Overall, an estimated 56 million Americans regularly run on a treadmill and 51 million jog, according to a report from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.But running has a reputation for being rough on our joints.
- There is some good news for those chasing the high: one 2023 study found little relationship between recreational running and arthritis of the hip or knee, and another suggests that the impact of running causes cartilage to adapt, fortify and thicken over time.