Your joints, located where your bones join together, keep your body flexible and agile. Joints are the very reason that we can move at all but are also sometimes the source of pain when we do move. Age, lifestyle, chronic inflammation, and health deficiencies can cause your joints to wear down over time, leading to pain, stiffness, and even arthritis. What can you do now to improve the health of your joints?
1. choose low-impact exercises
Swimming and walking are two great exercises to keep up with an active lifestyle without putting the health of your joints at risk. These activities are gentler and less stressful while still providing you with an effective, calorie-burning working session to keep your body strong and healthy.
Cycling and elliptical training are other great lower-impact activities that are often joint-protective.
2. strengthen your core
Improving your core muscle strength can help you find greater balance and decrease the risk of injury. Abdominal workouts, strengthening exercises for your back and hips, and weight training will improve stability, decrease pain, and help increase your range of motion and flexibility.
Movement requires the optimal function of the spine and then the extremities. The core muscles will provide a stable platform for movement in your life.
3. focus on your posture
Keep a conscious eye on your posture as you sit or stand.
Remember to roll your shoulders back, keep your neck tall, and straighten your spine. This affects the health of joints throughout your whole body and can help to lessen pain and sensitivity caused by poor body mechanics.
Posture is integral to the stability and strength of the spine as we move. The spinal mechanics are very important in relation to functional fitness and the use of the body. Without proper mechanics, you will have movement disorders and dysfunction. Posture helps to manage these mechanics. Find exercises to help improve your posture here!
4. eat anti-inflammatory foods
Arthritic symptoms are generally caused by inflammation of the joints, leading to the characteristic pain and stiffness.
Fight this inflammation from the inside out by incorporating ingredients into your meals such as salmon, avocado, turmeric, and more.
Look for foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants which will help to lower inflammation, blood pressure, and promote an overall healthy diet.
We learn every day how chronic inflammation is the likely source of almost all lifestyle diseases, including arthritis. Empower yourself to manage this inflammation and reduce it by simply adding anti-inflammatory phytochemicals into your routine.
Need some delicious and anti-inflammatory recipes for meal prep this week?Check out The Herbal Kitchen from Well Theory, hosted by Dr. Meredith Warner, the inventor of The Healing Sole. Find recipes for any meal of the day that’s nutritious, good for your joints, and yummy, too.
5. try our Joint Health Multivitamin
There are a variety of natural ways to relieve and reduce arthritis pain and swelling - and turmeric has been proven to improve joint function by alleviating inflammation and pain.
The cytokines found in turmeric have powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. This makes them a great natural alternative for relieving joint and muscle pain, and speeding up recovery from injury or exercise.
6. give yourself a break
Don’t forget to rest your joints, especially if you lead an active lifestyle.
Exhausted muscles, aggressive over-stretching, or over-stressing your integral connective tissues can easily affect your joints and lead to lower effective energy, weakness, and put you at risk of injury.
Use common sense to protect your body while performing tasks, work, and sports. For example, you could take more trips carrying groceries inside rather than overloading your joints by trying to bring them all into the kitchen at one time.
Apply a cool compress to sore joints to safely reduce swelling and pain from inflammation.
Enjoy an off-day from exercising by reading a book or taking time to relax with an aromatherapy candle and Vivaldi’s music.
Allowing yourself time to rest and recoup is becoming more and more important for optimal aging. Your body’s recovery will have a positive effect on your joints as well as your overall health.
7. TRY OUR Daily pea MULTIVITAMIN
Dr. Meredith Warner designed this PEA Multivitamin to provide nutrients that your body lacks with joint, muscle, and pain recover in mind.
PEA or Palmitoylethanolamide is a natural pain reliever that has anti-inflammatory properties that can over time reduce the symptoms of joint pain.
This multivitamin also includes magnesium oxide, vitamin C, zinc gluconate, vitamin D3 and calcium citrate. All carefully chosen for their unique pain fighting properties
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