Posted on September 10, 2007 in Latest News
You have been hearing the benefits of exercise ever since your childhood and you were least interested. Who has time for exercise?? Wasn’t this your usual excuse? I know you still feel the same, even when you are suffering from Arthritis. But committing yourself to a little exercise instead tolerating pain would be a better idea isn’t it?
Experts have affirmed that exercise can benefit arthritis patients the following ways:
- Exercise strengthens muscles around the joints and relieve them off stress
- Exercise reduces stiffness of joints
- Exercise builds flexibility and endurance
- Exercise keeps your weight under control
- Exercise can offset many health problems like osteoporosis, diabetes and heart disease
- Exercise boosts your energy level
- Exercise improves your mood and self-esteem
- Exercise helps you sleep better
Come on! Its not all that difficult. You don’t really have to wake up early morning and put on your running shoes and start. You can chose anytime convenient for you. Many people prefer mornings for exercise but you can chose evening time if you hate waking up early.
Ready to start? Don’t worry. You can start with warm-up. Before beginning any exercise, it is better to warm up. Exercising with cold muscles can cause pain and injury so its better to warm up.
If you are quite aged then you can try warming your muscles by taking a warm bath or apply heat packs to your joints before beginning your exercise.
If you aren’t too old, you should try these warm up exercises and repeat them three to five times
Side bends – This is easy. Put your hands on your hips. Bend from the waist on the right side first then come back up. Repeat the same for your left side.
Shoulder Shrugs – Ever thought shrugging could be an exercise? Well, it is. Try raising one or both your shoulders up towards your ears. Relax. Repeat.
Arm Circles – Extend your arms out at both sides. Yeah, that Titanic pose. Now rotate your arms forward and then do the same in reverse.
Torso rotations – Now stand with your feet wide apart and turn your toes slightly out. Now twist your back to your left side and then towards your right side. Repeat.
Wall push-up – Since you are not in a condition to do those classic push ups. You can settle for a wall push up. Stand with your feet about 12 inches from the wall. Place your hands a little wider than your shoulders. Lower your chest close to the wall and then push back to the starting position.
After these warm up exercises, the safest and the least strenuous exercise you can do is ‘Walking’. If you are game for other things, you can try swimming and other forms of exercises.
Water exercises can also be a good bet. Some people offer water exercises for Arthritis patients. Water’ soothing warmth and buoyancy can do wonders for you.
So get going folks, a little exercise can go a long way in easing your pains. If you feel pain after exercising, put an ice pack over the effected area and you’ll be fine. If not then consult your doctor and take necessary precautions for exercising properly.
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