Walking up hills, riding a bike, mowing the lawn and swimming may be the last things you want to do when you are enduring the pain of arthritis.
People without the condition often find getting up and out to exercise a chore, but you may find staying active can actually help you to relieve pain or cope better with it.
Having an exercise regime can move deposits from your joints caused by your arthritis.
You could incorporate three main components in your exercise routine, flexibility, strength and cardiovascular.
Improving your range of motion, or flexibility, is important for those with arthritis as joints regularly stiffen up.
You may find it harder to exercise in the morning when people with arthritis tend to have stiff joints. Any type of bending and stretching is good exercise for those with arthritis, even something as simple as pulling your knees to your chest or stretching your arms above your head can ease stiffness.
Exercises designed to improve your strength, often referred to as resistance exercises, can be beneficial. Push ups, pull ups, sit up and squats are all good exercises to improve muscle strength as is riding a bike, pushing a lawn mower and walking up stairs.
Building muscle strength will make the muscles around the joints stronger, giving them more support.
Increasing your weight is never a good idea if you have arthritis as you will be putting extra stress on your, already weakened joints.
Cardiovascular exercises will help you stay in shape and is good for your heart and lungs.
Whatever exercise regime you design for yourself should be run past your doctor first. There may be reasons why you can’t take part in certain activities.
You could try asking your doctor for recommendations of exercise therapists, personal trainers and physical therapists who can help you build a routine that will be beneficial to your arthritis without pushing you past your capabilities.