Maintaining healthy joints can help you stay mobile and reduce the likelihood of stiffness. Keeping them lubricated will allow you to stay moving and active to enjoy doing the things you love, like walking, running and playing sports. The lifestyle changes necessary to maintain joint health are likely the same as you may be considering for your general health. Here are some of the best things you can do to keep yourself mobile.
Choose an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Eating a healthy diet that includes foods with anti-inflammatory properties can protect your joints and maintain your general health. Ensure you get the right amount of nutrients by consuming plenty of nuts, berries, dark leafy green vegetables and fatty fish. Focus on foods that are low in saturated fats and try to stay away from processed foods. A Mediterranean diet emphasizing fish, olive oil and vegetables is an excellent example of the right balance of foods that give your body beneficial amounts of vitamins and minerals. Getting into a healthy eating pattern will benefit your efforts in maintaining good overall health.
Try Supplements
In addition to eating the correct balance of foods, supplements are a convenient option to help maintain the health of your joints. Adding joint health supplements to a healthy diet and doing the right amount of exercise creates an ideal combination to help support the cartilage in your body. The correct amount of vitamins and nutrients assist in connective tissue production and support wellbeing. Additionally, the right balance helps to mitigate any mild inflammation. Supplements can fill in the gaps your body needs to benefit from what you consume from natural sources.
Stay Hydrated
When you are properly hydrated, it helps your body make synovial fluid in your joints for lubrication. The fluid helps to saturate your joints to protect them from wear and tear. Drinking at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily is the standard, although the amount varies depending on several factors. Age, gender and physical activity affect how much water your body needs. If you feel thirsty, it is your body’s way of letting you know it needs more.
Get Regular Exercise
Implementing a routine of regular exercise is paramount to supporting joint health. Staying active keeps your joints lubricated and can help reduce stiffness. It can be easy to assume that excess movement causes pain in your joints. It is important to clarify that exercising your body is the key element that keeps your joints flexible. Try to exercise for at least thirty minutes daily, five times a week, to maintain your joints and overall health.
Do Low-Impact Exercises
Practice doing some low-impact exercises to get the full benefit of moving your body. Continuous movement free of high-impact rigorous activity will support flexibility and reduce stiffness and soreness. To encourage blood flow to your cartilage, try walking, swimming or tai-chi. These activities will limit the unwanted stress you put on your joints when subjecting them to more strenuous activities. The softer movements are easier on your body and your joints, offering a more productive workout for the health of your body.
Warm Up and Cool Down
Skipping the warm-up and cool-down process can be tempting when beginning a new exercise routine. Try to spend fifteen minutes on these practices before and after exercise to optimize joint health. Start your exercise routine by slowly raising your heart rate and warming up your muscles. When you finish your workout, while your muscles are still warm, slow down the intensity of your exercise to slowly return your heart rate and breathing pattern to normal. Finally, complete your routine with dynamic stretching to finish your warm-up and cool-down practices to maintain muscle strength and joint flexibility.
Drinking plenty of water, eating the right balance of foods, and moving your body are simple things you can do every day. When you take the time to implement some best practices into your daily life, you will feel the benefits in your joints and overall health and well-being.
