Arthritis can make your joints feel stiff and achy. It’s exactly for this reason why exercising is the last thing that you want to do. However, experts say that getting your regular dose of exercise is actually good for arthritis.
Keep on reading this article to know why someone like you who has arthritis should exercise on a regular basis.
Got family and friends who are also bugged by arthritis? Don’t forget to share this on your various social media sites later on so that they may also get acquainted with the fact that exercising is beneficial for them!
But before you start exercising, there’s one thing you need to do: inform your doctor.
No one should start an exercise program without first consulting his or her primary health care provider. This is most especially true if the person has a medical condition such as arthritis.
Exercising Helps in Reducing Arthritis Symptoms
What makes getting your regular dose of exercise good for you is the fact that it helps strengthen the muscles that support your joints. Definitely, you can benefit a lot from having more stabilized and supported joints.
Some forms of exercise are very good at keeping your bones and joints strong.
You don’t want to have bones and joints that are weak and highly susceptible to damage because your arthritis can have a much faster progression, causing the various symptoms to worsen considerably.
Regular exercise can also help improve your balance, thus saving you from slipping and falling, something that can hurt your joints and even put you at risk of incurring a physical injury.
The Enemy is Actually Lack of Exercise
If you have this notion that exercising can worsen arthritis because it requires you to employ your joints, better think again. Experts say that exercising on a regular basis can help improve the problem.
Needless to say, it’s lack of exercise that can make things worse for someone who has arthritis.
Using the joints on a regular basis helps build tissues that prevent the bones in joints from rubbing against one another. And just like what’s earlier mentioned, it also helps in strengthening the muscles around your joints.
However, do take note that you should refrain from exercising as though you are an athlete. Working out intensely or excessively can do more harm than good.
So in other words, you should stick to mild or moderate forms of exercise only.
Lots of Enjoyable Exercise Types for You to Choose From
Some of the best exercises for people like you who suffer from arthritis are the aerobic kinds. They are those that cause your heart rate and also respiratory rate to increase while you are carrying them out.
Brisk walking, bicycling, swimming and using an elliptical machine are some excellent examples.
According to experts, you should try doing them for about 20 minutes on most days of the week. But if you cannot exercise on most days of the week, once or twice a week is better than no exercise at all.
The pros suggest for you to opt for moderate intensity aerobic exercises.
If you can speak effortlessly while exercising, that’s just mild. If you can no longer speak properly, that’s already intense. Moderate means you can still speak although kind of labored.
Don’t Forget Muscle-Building Exercises, Too
Also called strengthening exercises, muscle-building exercises are those that require the use of weights or even your own body weight. Just like what they are called suggests, they help build muscles.
There is really no need for you to hit the gym just to build muscles as you can do such at home.
In fact, you don’t even have to buy barbells or dumbbells just to be able to carry muscle-building exercises. You may use thick books, water bottles and even canned goods. Just be inventive!
You may also opt for exercises that simply employ your very own body weight. Some examples of them include lunges, squats, wall slides and push-ups.
