Workout tips for people with arthritis

It would be foolish to interpret arthritis as a condition that affects only the aged population. People as young as 35 years are developing arthritic symptoms - at least in the cities, at least among people who are always doing the balancing act, trying their best to be a good son, husband, father, and office colleague. Arthritis can show up with the most silent symptoms, in the form of that slight backache that tends to send a slight shiver along the spine when you are getting out of the car after reaching the office. It can be more pronounced in one limb of the body. For instance, if you are a banker and do a lot of document signing throughout the day, the fingers and wrist can be unusually sore due to an underlying arthritic condition and not just the volume of physical work. If you have arthritis, it's important to exercise regularly to maintain joint mobility, reduce pain, and improve overall health. Here are some workout tips that may help:

Consult your doctor or a physical therapist: Before starting any exercise program, it's essential to consult your doctor or a physical therapist to determine the best exercises for your specific type of arthritis and its severity. You might realize that the usual family physician is perhaps not understanding the severity of the problem. If you repeatedly feel cramped in the mornings and if getting up from a seated position, at home or the office, seems increasingly painful, just vitamin D supplementation is not good enough. Just consider consulting an orthopedic and not just a general physician. A specialist here will also be able to guide you about the small things to manage arthritis when exercising, such as using hot and cold presses alternatively or perhaps, not using one of them based on the symptoms you share during the consultation. GET HELP, BUT THE RIGHT TYPE OF HELP!

Start slow: anybody suffering from arthritis or a medical condition that interferes with physical activity will know that there is nothing out there that can take away the pain immediately. Exercising with arthritis presents the same predicament - you know there will be very bad days, some ugly days, but there will be many occasions too when exceeding your expectations in terms of the weighted military press will leave you with a sense of triumph. There is only one way to increase the density of good days and avoid instances of overtly exerting your body. You need to know more about low-impact exercises such as walking, swimming, or cycling and buy the gear that might be necessary to manage no-gym days when you need to listen to your body and go slow. Being slow is perhaps the big summary of managing physically exerting exercises despite having arthritis. Whether you are just starting your journey in the gym or you have bought an expensive spin cycle for home, gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workouts as your joints become stronger. You have to admit that your body needs a bit more caring than others at the gym. So adding some lighter, walking days when exercising is just about adding miles on foot, is a great idea to mix it up and to ensure that you don't trigger more arthritic symptoms.

Use proper technique: Grip it better - that would be my big advice to anybody who is trying to master the kettlebell overhead movement or the deadlift. While gymgoers are preached about keeping the back straight or breathing properly, nobody seems to emphasize the need to grip the rod or a dumbbell better. Proper technique is crucial to avoid joint damage and reduce pain. You don't need an appointment with a physical therapist or trainer to learn the correct form for each exercise - the information is out there on the web. The real effort lies in following what is shown via social media videos and training modules. Someone with arthritis needs to be more careful about the basics of posture when doing weights, such as not going down to a squat position when lifting a weight off the floor as compared to someone with better mobility who can conventionally bend and lift the object. If you are someone with more grit over precaution, a strong grip will also help you complete the movement through the discomfort - squeezing hard via the fingers helps to perform better when you are already in some pain. You might want to Stretch before and after exercising. Stretching helps to warm up the muscles and increase flexibility, reducing the risk of injury. Make sure to stretch after your workout as well to prevent muscle soreness.

Listen to your body: If you experience pain or discomfort during exercise, stop and rest. Pushing through the pain can lead to further joint damage and inflammation. Arthritic pain can have serious seasonal swings. Winters and humidity seasons can be more demanding. The typical painkillers might not provide relief. If you are pushing 50, the pain can be excruciating. You need to know that taking a day off from the gym is a good idea only to come back stronger. This is when even the treadmill might not be a good idea. When your body seems too heavy, when the same pair of dumbbells suddenly seems immovable, and the joints are sore, you know that somewhere deep down, your body is not going to listen to you. Don't force it. A couple of days away from the gym can be calculated as the number of extra time you have to put in over the next 10 days to clear the deficit - this is easy but you have to keep the patience.

Incorporate strength training: people with arthritis have a typical problem when planning their exercise regimen. They tend to be more vulnerable to developing exercise-related injuries and to get stronger, they need to train harder but with arthritis, heavy-duty training exercises aren't always possible. This suggests a change in approach to get the desired result. The solution lies in more core-building exercises and strength training so that overall, they are more adept at lifting weights without suffering from pulls, pains, and tears. Resistance training and kettlebell exercises are good examples of things to do to boost strength without spending infinite hours or risking a serious injury around the joints. Strength training that involves the entire body, like the Hindu push-up, is great to warm up the body too when done without keeping a count - the more you do, the bigger the chance of keeping away gym injuries even if you have been diagnosed with arthritis.

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