EXERCISE AND THE JOINTS

Stiffness in the mornings and the occasional painful joint become more common at 50+ and one of the causes may be lack of exercise. Even if you develop one of the many forms of arthritis, regular exercise should be continued whenever possible. It helps by contributing towards a healthy heart and maintaining normal weight, mental alertness, better sleep and optimum balance and posture. More specifically, execise keeps the joints fully mobile and relieves muscle tension - which can add to joint pain - while maintaining strength in the muscles surrounding the joints.


Choosing Your Exercise
Choose activities that do not strain or jar your joints. Select your footwear carefully: good-quality supportive shoes are particularly beneficial because they absorb some of the jolt that may be transmitted to the joints when the heel hits the ground. Swimming and water aerobics are good choices for people with painful joints because the buoyancy of the water removes much of the body weight from the joints.

How Much Exercise Is Safe?
You should not continue with any exercise that causes you pain or discomfort, but it is worth trying it again a couple of weeks later when your muscles are stronger. If any discomfort you experience after exercise lasts longer than two hours you have probably done too much, and should cut back. If you have arthritis you should not exercise an acutely inflammed and painful joint. Moving it gently within the range of movement that is relatively pain-free, however, can reduce stiffness.

Exercising with a friend can be an encouragement on the days you are tempted to stay at home.