Cold weather helps to awaken the aches and pains in your joints. Combat those pesky pains with an easy two-step system that will have you back on your feet in no time.
Range of Motion
It’s common to feel powerless
and out of options when it comes to arthritis and joint pain. The pain can, at
times, be unbearable and affect every aspect of your life. But, believe it or
not, one of the keys to pain relief with arthritis may be found in getting up
and getting active.
According to the Mayo Clinic,
exercise can help relieve pain and stiffness in your joints and muscles. And that’s not the only benefit you’ll get
from regular exercise. It can also help strengthen your bones, give you more energy
throughout the day and make it easier to get quality sleep at night. That’s
important, considering one in five people have doctor-diagnosed arthritis,
according to the CDC.
Here’s a look at the types of
exercises that can make a difference for your arthritis and joint health.
According to the Arthritis
Foundation, stretching and range of motion exercises are the most important type
of exercise you can get if you suffer from arthritis and chronic joint pain,
and should be done nearly every day. Range of motion and stretching exercises
can be particularly helpful in the morning after you get out of bed, when your
joints are probably at their most stiff and painful.
Spend 10 to 15 minutes gently
stretching and moving your problem joints. For example, if you have arthritis in
your wrists and hands, do simple stretching exercises by slowly opening and
closing your hand and stretching out your fingers. Move your wrist gently in
multiple directions. You can even try doing these exercises while in the bath
or while relaxing in a hot tub to help warm up your joints and muscles.
Tai Chi and low impact (restorative)
Yoga
If you’re looking for a more
organized or group version of stretching and range of motion exercises, try activities
like low impact yoga or Tai Chi. Both of these forms of exercise provide great
benefits for arthritis and joint pain sufferers. Tai Chi, in particular, can
help sufferers of painful knee osteoarthritis. These ancient Chinese arts
combine slow rhythmic movements with meditation. Tai Chi helps both your local
pain and inflammation while boosting the painkillers (Endorphins) in your
brain. Low impact yoga not only helps stretch and strengthen your muscles and
tendons, but can also complement a weight-loss program to take some of the
pressure off your joints due to the extra weight you may be carrying around.
Contact your local health club, YMCA or other gym to inquire about low impact
(beginning) yoga or tai chi classes in your area.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise is any type
of activity that increases your heart rate over an extended period of time.
Aerobic exercise provides
numerous health benefits, like strengthening your cardiovascular system, improving
your endurance and helping you control your weight. That can be a plus,
considering people who are overweight are twice as likely to have or develop
osteoarthritis.
Biking is one of the best and most gentle ways to pump joint
fluid full of nutrients to your cartilage.
First – get on an exercise
bike and just spin the pedals without any intensity or resistance (set level at
1). Make sure the seat height is such that at the
bottom position your knee is
almost but not quite fully extended. Modify if this position is painful for you.
The reason for starting with an exercise bike is to Exercise Away Your Joint
Pain and Arthritis.
You can set the resistance to
virtually zero which is difficult on a regular bike and it’s easier to monitor how
fast your spinning. Once you become stronger you can move onto a regular
outdoor bike. Even if you can only do a few minutes- work your way up slowly,
once your pain level decreases, slowly start increasing the intensity or
resistance.
Walking daily helps reduce inflammation and pain by moving
your knees joint. Start slowly and see if you can build up to a ½ to 1 hour. Do
not walk through pain –this actually makes the pain inflammation cycle worse. No pain - no gain doesn’t work for those with
knee pain.
Swimming is wonderful because you can exercise with less than
your full bodyweight. Be careful though because the kicking may flare your knee
pain. Modify your kick so you have no knee pain. One can also walk and run in
the water as a way of circulating joint fluid.
You may be limited in the types of aerobic activities you can do with
your arthritis or chronic joint pain.
Be sure to start slow and
choose activities that are realistic for your condition.
Strength Training
You don’t need to become a
bodybuilder or even hit the weight room at the gym to do strength training exercises.
In fact, these types of exercises may seem especially intimidating for someone
with chronic joint pain like arthritis. Resistance bands, for example, can help
strengthen your muscles without the bulk and hassle of using free weights or
weight machines. For example, you can attach one end of a resistance band to a
doorknob, grab the other end with your hand and pull on the resistance band to
perform arm strengthening exercises. Be
sure to rest the muscles you strength train for at least one day after
exercising. Your muscles need time to rest and repair themselves in between strength
training sessions. Take an extra day of rest if your joints seem extra painful
or swollen.
Exercise Tips
Exercise is most effective
when it’s done on a consistent basis. That’s why it’s important to find types
of exercises that you really enjoy. Whether it’s taking a walk in the evenings
with your companion, strapping on the rollerblades and hitting the local park path
or enjoying a game of racquetball with a friend, doing something that’s fun for
you will make it more likely that you’ll get moving on a regular basis. If you haven’t exercised in a while, start
slowly. Don’t try to do too much too quickly. If you do, you could end up with
an arthritis flare-up, find yourself exhausted too quickly or even end up with
an injury. Talk to a certified personal trainer for appropriate types of
exercise for your condition, age and physical abilities.
For those who suffer from
extreme and chronic pain making exercise impossible, the first step is pain management.
There are natural products available for pain management. To help ease the
common aches and pains associated with exercise, be sure to apply the powerful
pain relief of Ageless Pain Relief™ Cream from Isagenix. With its unique
combination of natural ingredients, it helps to warm and then cool your aching joints
and muscles to help you recover from a long workout. In addition, Ageless JointSupport™ tablets provide triple-action power to protect, rejuvenate and soothe
your joints over time. No other pain relief product provides the same one-two
punch as the Isagenix Joint and Pain Relief System.
So get out there and get
active, and support your joints with the power of Ageless Joint Support™ and AgelessPain Relief™ Cream. It may be the best thing you ever did for your
arthritis or chronic joint pain.
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