Being an arthritis sufferer, I’m always on the lookout for “weapons” to combat the debilitating effects of the disease. I plan to continue doing what I love to do for as long as I’m able. But I know I can’t continue to act as though my body is that of a 20-something-year-old…not even a woman in my 40s. I can no longer procrastinate. Tomorrow is now…my aches and pains decidedly tell me so…every chance they get.
Image via Wikipedia
The following tips from TV’s The Doctors, reiterates what I’ve already heard. Hearing them again can never be enough. We all need reminders…seniors even more as our brains begin slowing down, and disconnecting from the multitude of facts and figures absorbed over the years.
- Image via Wikipedia
3 tips to reduce your risk of arthritis
IT HURTS when you walk or climb the stairs, slice meat or brush your teeth–that’s the reality of arthritis. Family history plays a role in your risk, and so does age: The chance of developing many types of arthritis, including the most common, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, increases the older you get.
Those factors you can’t control. But you can take steps to protect your joints and reduce your risk of arthritis.
EXERCISE. Regular exercise strengthens the muscles around joints, which helps keep them from rubbing against one another and wearing down cartilage; it also helps increase bone density, improve flexibility and ease pain.
DON’T PUSH YOUR BODY PAST ITS LIMITS. Putting too much stress on your joints can accelerate the wear and tear that causes osteoarthritis, and injured joints, perhaps while playing a sport, are more likely to eventually develop arthritis.
WATCH YOUR WEIGHT. Extra pounds put extra stress on your joints, especially your knees, hips and back.
My mom had severe arthritis ever since I can remember. She’d awake from her sleep in the early morning hours, pacing the floor, unable to do much for the excruciating pain that coursed through her knees. There was no let-up through the years. My last image of her was of a fall she’d taken after showering. Her legs were like crooked toothpicks.
That visual alone drives me to minimize the effects of arthritis, by faithfully exercising and watching my sugar intake. Both can reduce inflammation which is the hallmark of the disease. So the more often I affirm what I need to do…
the better i am…at seeing it get’s done…
………hugmamma. 😉
hugmamma's MIND, BODY and SOUL 
I didn’t know that about sugar. I do know that I need to lose weight to help the pain in my knee and hips.
This is very timely. Did you see my post about my husband Mark’s impending knee replacement surgery?
Thanks for the tips, and the encouragement.
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Sorry I’ve not been by to visit. Am somewhat limited to the time I can sit at my laptop. My back begins to let me know when it’s becoming uncomfortable. I don’t want to regress as regards my back pain. I’m in a much better place now than I was a couple of months ago. I’ve just been churning out the words, hoping to empty my mind of the glut. But I’ll definitely be by to read your posts today. Hope all’s well with your husband. Surgery is…well, surgery. Never a great scenario. But at times…absolutely necessary.
hugs, christine… 🙂
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I agree with your pointers; especially knowing our limits when we exercise… I can’t say that enough. TY! 🙂
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Exercise is great…in any size, fashion, or amount. We’ve just got to keep moving. 🙂
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Fibromyalgia, which is what I have, is not the same but similiar. Lots of stiff and inflammed joints. Lots of pain sometimes. But it is far too easy to push things beyond the limits without doing much of anything. That makes it very difficult to exercise. I take the dogs for little bitty walks.
Love the flower pic, it’s so beautiful.
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We do what we can do. Neither stress nor beating ourselves up about what we can’t do…will help stave off physical…or mental…pain. So I salute you in taking…little, bitty walks. Several of them a day adds up to a whole lot…of exercise. I selected that particular photo as a metaphor…beauty can grow out of…ugly. 😉
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good advice hugmama; here’s hoping you have a pain-free week.
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Some days are better than others. Chronic pain is something I face without letup. So I happily accept times of lesser pain. When I can do all that I’d like to do I’m thrilled. Otherwise I adjust my activity to what my body can bear. Exercise is something I realize I can’t put off, however. Without the regimen of movement…my body regresses backward into unending pain.
If I can be an example to young and old…I’d like to reiterate how important it is to help my body…help me…retain quality of life… 🙂
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Pingback: Musings: On Exercise & Pain… | Mirth and Motivation
hugs for the mention… 🙂
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Very good reminders, hugmamma. We always seem to think we will last forever, but sometimes our body tells us otherwise. It pays to heed advice and take good care of ourselves. Thanks.
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Having several friends who are seniors, including couples, is a constant reminder of quality of life as years pass. My husband and I hear their complaints, as well as their upbeat advice…and humor. But my mom’s experiences as she aged will forever be my guiding light. She suffered physically and mentally. I felt as though I traveled the path with her. Been there, done that. Don’t want to go through it again. 😉
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