Exercise is vital to keeping those joints and muscles elongated, warmed up, and moving. Make sure to always discuss your weight and exercise routine with your physician before following any workout plan.
Keep in mind that exercise doesn’t have to mean 7 days at the gym pumping iron and running on treadmills. Regular movement, whether it’s walking around your home or participating in aerobic classes at your gym, does wonders for arthritic pain.
In the past, it was thought that exercise made arthritis pain worse, but this has been shown to, not only be untrue, but quite the opposite. Daily workouts help to build and maintain a strong and healthy cardiovascular and muscular system.
Beyond the strengthening and stretching you get from exercise, maintaining a healthy weight contributes in many other ways as well, such as reducing the strain on muscles and joints. If you are overweight, it is important that you set goals with your physician to reach your optimal healthy weight and that you set yourself up for long-term success, rather than short-term results.
Laura Robbins, Senior Vice President of Education and Academic Affairs at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, says that for every pound you lose, you reduce the pressure on your knees by four pounds.
In fact, Roy Altman, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of California, has seen symptoms of arthritis completely disappear from patients that have lost ten to twenty pounds of excess weight.
Along with the symptoms of arthritis, you will be improving your overall mental and physical well-being, helping to control other ailments your body may face as you age. A strong heart and a strong mind can do wonders for pain management!