There is one health issue that will quickly take you out of the workout game: joint pain. You know how important it is to stay active as keeping active will help to ensure you maintain muscle strength and keep your physical fitness at an ideal level. As we become older, we lose lean muscle mass, but physical activity helps to prevent this loss.
When you start suffering from joint pain, however, things change. Now even walking up the stairs can feel like a challenge. The good news? You can get around this. By taking steps now, you can keep your joints moving well into your later years. Don’t let creaky joints get you down. Here is how…
1. Avoid Activities Placing Stress On Your Joints. First, consider avoiding activities that will place a significant strain on your joints. For instance, running is not the best of options. Sure, it is ideal if you are looking to burn calories or boost your endurance, but for keeping your joints healthy, it is not the best of activities. Using a stationary cross trainer or swimming would be a better option.
Likewise, while weightlifting is excellent for promoting better health, it is not ideal if you are going for your maximum lifts multiple times a week. You may do it once in a while, but the rest of the time, lift more conservatively. You will still see benefits.
2. Keep Your Weight In Check. As often as you have heard this, it is time to listen to it again. Keeping your weight in check is a must for maintaining the elasticity, strength, and resilience of the cartilage in your joints. If you are carrying excess weight; it makes sense you are going to be at risk of developing joint pain. Stress is coming down on your joints consistently, and this is likely to cause you problems.
Just taking off ten pounds can make a big difference where joint pain is concerned. Try carrying ten pounds strapped to your back for an hour and see how you feel. When you take it off, you will feel so much better. That illustrates what your joints go through when you gain weight.
3. Consider Glucosamine and Chondroitin. These two supplements are ones you should consider taking if you are looking to prevent joint pain or are currently suffering from problems in your joints. They contain nutrients to benefit joint health and help improve your mobility. The research does not exactly know why these work, but Glucosamine is naturally produced in the body, and assists in the maintenance of healthy joint cartilage.
There you have a few leading points to keep in mind if you are looking to save your joints. Prevention is critical when it comes to joint health so make sure you are not overlooking all you could be doing.
