An important part of good health is staying active. When you aren't physically active you increase your risk for life-threatening diseases and conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and a number of different forms of cancer, including colon cancer and breast cancer. You don't have to let osteoarthritis keep you from remaining active and healthy. While increasing your physical activity won't necessary eliminate your condition, it will definitely help improve your quality of life and your health.
Low And Slow
When you have osteoarthritis, keeping it low and slow is imperative. For example, if you try to jump right in and enroll in a power cycling class – don't expect to last long. More importantly, plan to be in intense pain for a while after. It's important to let your body adjust.
Consider starting off with a slow-paced walk, as your stiff joints start to loosen, you can increase the pace. Let your body be your guide and only go as fast as your body can comfortably tolerate.
Move With Joints In Mind
Try to focus on joint friendly activities. Unlike intense joint bearing activities like running, joint friendly exercises help keep you more comfortable because they don't put a great deal of stress and pressure on the joints.
The best activities are those that are water based, such as swimming and water aerobics because they offer full body exercise without putting any pressure on your joints. Mild joint bearing exercise options include yoga, Pilates, chair stands and even Zumba, which also has excellent cardiovascular benefits.
Glucosamine Supplements
Consider adding glucosamine to your supplement regimen. One of the primary benefits this option offers for people suffering from osteoarthritis is that it naturally promotes repair and maintenance of damaged cartilage in the body by lubricating the joints and minimizing water loss, which prevents the cartilage from breaking down.
All of this science means less pain for you, which can automatically make engaging in physical activities easier. When adding this to your regimen, choose a liquid form as it will be absorbed by your body faster, offering faster results.
If you're looking for ways to increase your physical activity, don't hesitate to speak with your medical provider. Your provider will be able to offer you additional ways you can prevent osteoarthritis from keeping you from remaining active. Make sure you are committed to not allowing osteoarthritis to keep you from leading an active and healthier life.
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