[labawi]

> lighter footfall is likely minimizing impact on joints somehow

Simple: less stress (impact) => less damage (impact).

Listening to you body helps a lot. You body will (usually) tell you when you're doing something wrong, but it can be hard to understand.

I wanted to warn, because misconceptions like: I'm running => running is good for body => I'm doing good for body, even though my knees hurt every time; they can ruin many knees. Usually it won't get far, but there are always those who push.