Joint health is a critical component of personal care that becomes essential as we age. When not properly maintained, it can quickly lead to chronic pain and decreased mobility. Fortunately, the following five practices allow people to support their joint health in an impactful and sustainable manner.
Maintain a Healthy Body Weight
The first step you can take to support joint health is to maintain healthy body weight. Depending on your specific height and body structure, your weight can be too high or too low for proper joint health. A body with too low of weight cannot provide the muscular support a body needs to keep the joints strong and stable. Additionally, a body with too high of body weight can put excess pressure on the joints.
A pivotal study published in Arthritis & Rheumatism of overweight and obese adults with knee osteoarthritis discovered that “losing one pound of weight resulted in four pounds of pressure being removed from the knees. In other words, losing just 10 pounds would relieve 40 pounds of pressure from your knees.” We recommend speaking with your doctor to identify the appropriate weight you need to be at to maintain a healthy body; this will not only help with joint health, but it will provide myriad other health benefits.
Pursue a Mindful Diet
Pursuing a mindful diet benefits everyone at any age or medical condition. A conscious diet will, of course, help you maintain that critical healthy body weight, but there’s more. For those who suffer from joint pain, some foods and drinks can directly make it worse. For example, foods and beverages with high levels of sugar or sugary carbs are more likely to cause inflammation. The same goes for red meat, highly processed foods, alcohol, and tobacco.
Fortunately, it’s not just about avoiding certain foods. There are delicious foods and drinks you can enjoy that will help decrease inflammation while encouraging you to pursue a healthy weight. Plant-based diets, or the Mediterranean Diet, are commonly recommended to aid joint health.
If you already pursue a mindful diet, there are specific foods you can add in that are excellent inflammation fighters. These include garlic, ginger, broccoli, walnuts, berries, spinach, and more. Even taking a simple multivitamin or anti-inflammatory supplement can help!
Stay Active, Strong, & Flexible
The moment we stop moving, the faster our bodies begin to deteriorate. As we age, we get to a point where we don’t have to move around as much, such as retiring from a job. However, while getting older is often synonymous with “taking it easy,” that doesn’t mean we should become stationary. As we age, staying active, strong, and flexible is even more vital, which you can do with the following.
Practice a Low-Impact Exercise Regime
Maintaining an active exercise routine is critical to our body’s health on multiple levels, including joint health. When we exercise, the compression of joints releases nourishing fluid to the joints. If you suffer from joint pain, you likely won’t want to hit the pavement to go running every day. Instead, you will want to utilize low-impact exercises and strength training. These include yoga, swimming, Pilates, cycling, rowing, and restricted weightlifting. It is essential to practice a well-rounded exercise routine that targets all parts of the body; you certainly don’t want to get lopsided! If exercising isn’t your strong suit, or you don’t know what to do, we recommend hiring a trainer to guide you in the correct type of exercise.
Always Perform Warm-Ups & Cool-Downs
Warm-ups and cool-downs are essential to every exercise routine, yet they often get forgotten. Warm-ups allow the body to slowly prepare joints and muscles for more challenging movements by increasing blood flow. At the end of the exercise, cool-downs help your body safely slow down your heart rate and blood flow. When creating an exercise routine, always include 5 to 10 minutes for both the warm-up and the cool-down.
Additionally, make sure the warm-up and cool-down routine include stretching! Dynamic stretching allows the muscles to prepare for extended movements, increases flexibility, and prevents injuries!
Actively Correct Your Posture
As we age, hunching can become the preferred position of our body even though it places excess strain on our joints and increases the chance of injury. Whether exercising, lifting boxes, or even sitting on the couch, being mindful of one’s posture will aid your joint health and prevent your body from becoming permanently hunched.
Minimize Daily Stress & Fatigue
Did you know that continual stress can become a chronic physical condition? Not only can stress affect us mentally and emotionally, but it puts incredible strain on the body. In relation to joint health, stress can cause the body to be perpetually tense or strained, aggravating inflammation and increasing pain.
While stress relief varies from person to person, we recommend finding a practice that helps you minimize stress and allows the body to release tension. Options can include (but are not limited to): yoga, meditation, breathing techniques, therapy, and more.
Utilize Hot & Cold Therapy
If you already experience joint pain, it may be challenging to exercise or pursue any of the above recommendations without discomfort. While hot and cold therapy will not cure the underlying problem, it can reduce joint pain. Heat therapy alleviates pain by warming up the muscles to encourage blood flow, while cold therapy can numb affected areas to reduce inflammation. We encourage you to speak with your doctor about the various heat and cold therapy practices you can utilize to aid your joint health.
Home Instead At-Home Health Care
Do you or a senior in your life need assistance in maintaining a happy and healthy life? We at Home Instead in Eastern Washington help to enhance the aging experience by providing practical support with a human touch. Our professional caregivers immerse themselves into the wherever home is to assist with everyday activities, health practices, and building a long-lasting relationship with the client and their family. To schedule an in-home care consultation, please complete our contact form.
