6 Exercises to Help Arthritis

Besides medicine to treat your arthritis, healthy diet and exercise are crucial to keeping your joints strong and moving well. While I do not suggest intense exercises that flare up your body, there are gentle and easy exercises to start off with. Here are the six best ones to try out:

1) Chair Stand

This is a great exercise for those who are sitting throughout the day during work or school. This will help reduce joint pain in the legs and strengthen leg muscles.

To do this, use a normal-height chair, standing up and sitting down. But instead of simply plopping down, control your motion and use your arms to assist the movement if necessary. For those who find this a bit hard, use a chair with a higher height. For those who think it’s too easy, go for chairs with lower heights. Do this exercise with 10 to 15 reps per day. You’ll notice that the stronger your legs get, the less need there is to use your arms.

2) Yoga

This is beneficial for everyone, no matter how tender or swollen your joints get! It helps with promoting a healthy immune system while reducing joint inflammation. It also helps with maintaining your mobility and movement from the gentle stretches and poses you make.

Start off with beginner poses and work your way up as you begin to be more in control with your movement and breathing. Once you have mastered your flexibility and motion in the poses, start to introduce your body to more, focusing on your position, posture, and your breathing to stay calm. I would not recommend hot yoga and flow, as it increases the heat and pressure on joints.

3) Walking

Walking is a beneficial exercise that anyone can do, even those who suffer from very painful joints (unless it gets too intense). This strengthens your bones and is an aerobic activity that burns calories. Plus, because you are out of the house or office and get a fresh breath of air, it gives you time to think and relax. In turn, the less stress can help reduce your pain.

I recommend you to walk at a moderate-to-hard level, which is about 60% to 85% of your heart rate. Walk three to five days a week for half an hour each session. You can start off with ten minutes at first if you have just begun walking as exercise. Change up your routine and scenery every few weeks, as you build endurance and would want to explore your surroundings more to avoid boring yourself!

4) Cycling

I would recommend cycling for those who have feet or able problems, as it works on your legs without adding too much pressure in the lower body. It avoids the pound and grind of high-intensity exercises, though it gives you the similar awesome cardiovascular benefits, which include treating inflammation and optimum heart health. I recommend you to do this two to three times a week, starting off with ten minutes and building it up until you can do half an hour per bike ride.

5) Stretching

Anyone will be able to benefit from stretching, as long as you avoid going overboard from it. You can stretch anywhere, whether you are at home or in the office. Start off by stretching your upper body and working your way down. Focus on the body parts that have the most pain. For example, hand stretches are great for your fingers or palms. To do this, spread your fingers very wide and then make a fist, repeating the procedure and squeezing it. You can also try using a foam or stress ball for better control.

6) Zumba

If you want to break a sweat and burn more calories without hurting your joints, then try this dance-inspired exercise, which is unique and different! It’s also very fun to do and helps you learn coordination and balance with your body. Plus, who doesn’t like dancing as an exercise? It has a high intensity, gives you more fluidity in your movements while strengthening your joints and muscles. Start with tang classes twice a week, learning the choreography and focusing more on your posture rather than learning all the fast movements immediately. Take it slow to avoid overdoing it and putting too much pressure on your muscles.

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