Exercising and Arthritis - get moving for pain relief
July 4th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
Arthritis can exact a terrible toll over the years; you can become stiffer and less mobile, finding it hard to do the simplest tasks. This makes exercise essential. By exercising, not only will you build your muscles so that there’s less pressure on your joints, but you will also maintain mobility.
Typically, when you are diagnosed with arthritis your healthcare practitioner will provide you with a comprehensive arthritis treatment plan that includes various types of arthritis exercises. This plan will also include any dietary restrictions and inform you of the various types of food known to reduce arthritis pain. Generally, this arthritis treatment plan will also include a list of foods known to aggravate arthritis symptoms such as red meat, dairy products, food additives, and processed foods.
Some of the most popular arthritis exercises include yoga, tai chi, water aerobics, weight training and muscle strengthening, range-of-motion exercises such as dance, and aerobic and endurance exercises such as cycling.
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.
Nowadays, most of the major insurance companies provide their members with discounts to health clubs. Some even offer discounts on health products such as exercise videos and dietary supplements. Oftentimes policyholders are not aware of these discounts, so be certain to check with your insurance carrier to see if they offer these types of discounts.
In addition, many health clubs offer up to a 50 percent discount to certain insurance members. The majority of these clubs offer private sessions with a qualified exercise trainer. Many of these trainers are well-versed in helping clients develop an arthritis exercise program suited to their needs. Typically, the cost of a personal trainer is not covered and will be an out-of-pocket expense.
Another option is to look into joining your local YMCA or YWCA. Oftentimes, these organizations offer water aerobics, which has shown to be effective in decreasing arthritis pain. Water aerobics is a very gentle form of exercise and can be performed by nearly everyone. It involves sitting in a shallow pool and conducting gentle resistance exercises.
Regardless of the type of arthritis exercise program you choose, it’s important to apply heat to sore joints to help warm them up and allow them to become more flexible prior to exercise. Heat is typically applied for 5 to 15 minutes.
After applying heat, you will want to perform gentle stretching exercises before and after the routine. Upon completion of the work-out, apply cold packs to sore joints to help reduce inflammation.
It’s important to choose an exercise program that you enjoy and one that does not cause you intense pain. If you dislike the form of exercise or if it causes an increase in pain, chances are you will not stick with the program.
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Yoga For Arthritis: Yoga Contributes To Pain Relief As It Builds Your Confidence
May 28th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
When you suffer from arthritis you get used to living with chronic pain, and pain relief usually comes in the form of a pill, rather than gentle exercise. But studies have shown that not only can yoga contribute to arthritis pain relief, but it provides other benefits too.
Yoga Helps To Make You Strong, Flexible And Confident, Even Though You Have Arthritis
People with arthritis tend to cut down on their activities which leads to even more joint stiffening, and more pain. Undertaking some gentle yoga exercises not only improves your circulation and strengthens your bones and muscles, the exercises can also give you the confidence to live your life in spite of your arthritis.
You don’t need to bend yourself into a pretzel to do some yoga to help your arthritis. Breathing and self-awareness is at the core of yoga, so even standing up and breathing is a yoga exercise called Mountain Pose. This pose, just standing up and bringing your body into alignment as much as you can for a few moments, will help your posture, which translates into better balance in your daily activities.
Other yoga exercises are modified for people who have arthritis, with chairs, bolsters and other props. You still get most of the benefits of the full pose, and over time, you may even find that you no longer need the props.
Yoga Studio Or Self-Study?
If you have a yoga studio in your location, the best way to get started with yoga exercises for your arthritis is by taking some classes. Most studios have classes for people with arthritis, and if they don’t the instructors will make sure that you’re comfortable with the right props during a class, and that you exercise at your own pace.
If you’re not near a studio, or if you find it hard to travel, you can learn gentle yoga exercises for arthritis from DVDs, in which the models performing the exercises have arthritis - so you can see what’s possible for you.
Try yoga for your arthritis. Not only will yoga contribute to pain relief, but you’ll be much healthier, and much happier and more confident.
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Technorati Tags: arthritis, breathing, exercise, flexibility, joints, mobility, pain, pain relief, yoga, yoga for arthritis
Related Tags: arthritis, joints, breathing, exercise, exercises, flexibility, pain, pain relef, pain relief, yoga, yoga for arthritis
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