Suffering from arthritis can make exercise seem like a terrible idea. Arthritis affects the joints and can cause painful inflammation and swelling. So the idea of going to the gym and working out might make you feel like you would only be making things worse. But this isn’t actually true, and exercise is very important to your health, especially if you have arthritis
Here are some important tips to follow if you are a sufferer but you want to make the most of your workouts.
Use a stationary bike
The most important aspect of exercising with arthritis is to avoid impacting your joints with any exercise that involves running or jumping. As such a stationary bike is perfect – you work out your legs and build our muscles but there’s no chance of doing any damage to your aching joints.
Go swimming
Swimming is another great way to exercise but still taking the weight off your joints. It promotes cardiovascular fitness and flexibility. This is all very important to take away pressure from the cartilage in your joints and help you stay as healthy as possible.
Weight training in moderation
The problem with arthritis is due to the strain placed on your joints. Having strong muscles actually means you’ll stabilise the joints and reduce some of the pressure that is placed on them. Weight training is the best way to do this quickly, but make sure that you don’t over exert yourself.
Warm up properly
Warming up correctly is good practice whether you have arthritis or not, but is especially important when parts of your body are already suffering discomfort or pain. Warming up helps you reduce additional swelling or inflammation.
Stay a healthy weight
Combine exercising with diet to maintain a good weight and reduce the swelling of your joints on a daily basis. This is the best overall tactic.
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