Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Arthritis and Exercise

By Gary Pearson

Oftentimes people with arthritis find it challenging to perform certain types of exercise. Due to inflammation in the joints it can be difficult to perform traditional types of exercise, such as walking or lifting weights.

As soon as you are diagnosed with arthritis, you will have guidelines that you should follow with regard to your diet and your exercise routine - things you should do and things you should avoid, because there are foods and exercises that can help you keep arthritis in check. There are also foods that can aggravate arthritis and inflammation that you must avoid, like red meat, food additives, dairy products and processed foods.

There are a whole range of activities and exercises you can choose from even if you do have arthritis, though. Activities like yoga and tai chi are good for the body and mind. Weight training under supervision is another option open to you. Aerobic activities like dancing is always a fun workout and endurance building options like cycling will still be open to you.

Before embarking on any type of arthritis exercise program it's best to consult with your healthcare practitioner to be certain the form of exercise you choose will not further aggravate your arthritis symptoms.

Health clubs are a great option, as are health products. These might seem expensive, but if you check, you might find out that your insurance company offers some kind of discount with health clubs and with health products. You can always make the best of such offers.

One of the best things about health clubs is that a personal trainer is one of the options open to you. Even with the discount that you get with your insurance policy, you might have to pay from your pocket for such services, but this will give you access to training programs uniquely tailored for your needs.

If the prospect of joining a health club and getting a personal trainer does not appeal to you, water aerobics at a local institution, like the YMCA or the YWCA, is a great option for you. These exercises are not only gentle enough to make sure that your arthritis is not aggravated, but also a lot of fun to do, as a group.

Just as warming up is important before you work out, when you have arthritis, you need to get your joints warmed up - literally. Applying a heat pack to your joints for five to maybe fifteen minutes can help you enjoy your work out more, with less discomfort.

Once you do apply heat, a few light stretches will get you all set for your exercise routine. Once you are done with the exercise, do some light stretches again and then cold packs to your joints to get any inflammation that might be present back under control.

Two things are very important when you start with your exercise routine - you must enjoy your routine and you must be comfortable with it. Even if you have arthritis, your exercise program should not cause you any intense pain, and you should have fun doing it. - 15438

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