Move It or Lose It: How to Improve Your Joint Health
By Sandy Jolles, MSThe phrase "you're only as strong as your weakest link" rings true when it comes to your joints. Your lifestyle can make a big difference in your joint health and how this changes as you age.
Fortunately, there are plenty of simple things you can do to improve your overall mobility. Here are some tips to help you support your joint health.
Maintain an Ideal Weight
Maintaining a healthy weight is essential if you want optimal joint health. Excess weight puts additional stress on your weight-bearing joints, such as your knees. Even just an additional 10 pounds can add unnecessary stress to your joints. For every pound of body weight there are four pounds of pressure at the knee and three pounds of pressure at the hip. For example, an increase of five pounds in your total body weight results in an extra 20 pounds of pressure on your knee and 15 pounds of pressure on your hip.
Excess weight can also increase the potential for inflammation in other joints, like your wrists or ankles. Research has shown that a 10-to-15-pound weight loss in an overweight individual can lower their risk of osteoarthritis.
Do Low-Impact Exercises
If you struggle with joint pain, then try low impact exercises. For those individuals with arthritis, low impact exercises have been proven to be helpful for limiting joint pain. Range of motion exercises are a great starting point to stretch your muscles and your joints, and these can be done daily.
Studies have also shown that weight-bearing and resistance exercises are best for your joints. These forms of exercise include going for walks, hikes, light jogs, or even climbing the stairs. Tennis, pickleball, or dance can also provide joint mobility and core stability to support your joint health.
Strengthen Your Muscles
Strengthening your muscles also leads to improved joint health. Studies show that the best way to do this is through strength training, like resistance or weight training. You can engage in strength training up to three times a week for improved bone mineral density and muscle strength as you age.
As we age, it is important to maintain muscle mass, which also becomes harder as we get older. Studies confirm that 30% of adults older than 70 have trouble walking, getting in and out of chairs, and climbing stairs. Because this limitation can significantly increase the potential for other chronic diseases, it is important to continue to improve our mobility for our joints and our overall health!
Eat an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Aside from how we move, joint health is also about what we eat. Inflammation can be lessened with a proper diet that encourages anti-inflammatory effects. Such a diet could include the Mediterranean diet or the DASH diet.
Both of these diets entail the same foods: lots of produce, healthy fats like olive oil, whole grains, lean proteins, and legumes. This type of diet is the antithesis of the Western diet, which often includes processed foods and sugary drinks, all of which have a negative impact on our bodies.
Add HealthyBest® Move to Your Routine
You should also consider adding HealthyBest Move to your daily routine to enhance your overall joint health.* HealthyBest Move offers a nutrients and botanical blend that supports joint health and promotes mobility.*
HealthyBest Move uses naturally derived ingredients like Bromelain, Curcumin Phytosome, and Boswellia, all of which have benefits for healthy joints.* For example, Bromelain and Glucosamine Sulfate both benefit healthy joints and tissues.*
Benefits of HealthyBest Move:
- Supports tissue, cartilage, and joint fluid health*
- Helps maintain joint structure and integrity*
- Promotes a normal inflammatory response in the body*
- Helps provide relief from occasional stiffness and soreness*
HealthyBest Move can provide the elevated support you need to feel confident in your effort to maintain healthy joints and get relief from occasional joint stiffness and soreness.*
