Many people believe that you should not exercise if you have arthritis because it will damage your joints more. This couldn't be further from the truth though. Exercise can actually reduce your pain and stiffness.
If you have arthritis then it is very important that you get on a work out program. When you do exercises, it builds muscles around your joints and increases your flexibility. It can also give you more energy, help you to sleep better, keep you at a healthy weight, give you self confidence and decrease depression. Exercise improves your overall health! It can even reduce your risk of developing other health problems such as heart disease and osteoporosis.
For many people exercise is hard to do because they do not make it fun. It is a chore to do. It's really hard to be consistent about exercising when you are constantly dreading it. Try to pick an exercise routine that you enjoy, such as walking, dancing, doing yoga, swimming, or bicycling. Walking is one of the easiest to do and is an extremely efficient exercise. Even slow walking is beneficial because it will help the mechanisms in your body, put you in a better mood, help with any anxiety and give you more self-esteem. Regular walking will decrease your joint stiffness and swelling.
If you are in a lot of pain then you may want to start doing water exercises at first. This will reduce the stress on your knees, hips and spine. Flexibility exercises are great for arthritis. They are just stretches that help make it easier for you to move. If you have trouble doing your daily activities because of pain then you should definitely try this. Once you get used to doing these easier exercises then you can move on to more difficult things such as endurance and weight training. It is very important that you stretch before and after any exercising.
New studies have shown that many people actually get arthritis because of a lack of exercise. Things like television and computers are causing people to be less active than before. Because of this, more and more people are developing arthritis. Your body needs activity to be healthy. If you don't use the muscles and joints in your body regularly then they will degenerate. So if you don't have arthritis then the best way to prevent it is to exercise.
Before you start exercising you should talk to your doctor. They can help you decide what will be best for you. Physical therapists and occupational therapists can also be a great help to you. A physical therapist will show you the proper way to do exercises and walk you through them. An occupational therapist will help you by showing you how to do basic daily activities without hurting your joints.
There are over 100 different types of arthritis and exercise can help any of them. The best types of work outs to do are range of motion, strengthening and aerobic exercises. Just make sure you don't over exert yourself. If you exercise and have pain that lasts for more than an hour then you are exercising too much.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Arthritis
Written By: Michael Russell
