Everybody needs to exercise and while your creaking knees may protest, and you might be concerned that exercise will make your arthritis symptoms worse. Here naturopath Charmaine Sofia discusses why you need to keep moving to help manage the symptoms of osteoarthritis.
Regular exercise can help to improve the mobility and flexibility of joints. It can also help to keep muscles around affected joints strong, and improve overall posture and balance.
Undertaking regular exercise may help to replenish lubrication to the cartilage of the joint, and result in reduced stiffness and pain of joints affected by arthritis.
Regular physical activity and exercise also has many other benefits that will improve your overall health and well-being.
Some of these benefits include:
- Reduced fatigue
- Improved energy levels
- Improved sleep
- Increased bone strength
- Reduced body weight
- Improved mental well-being
How much exercise?
The Department of Health and Ageing recommends that all adults undertake at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most, if not every day. If you have arthritis you should aim to do some sort of physical activity every day for at least 30 minutes. This can be 30 minutes continuously, or you could do a few shorter sessions each day.
What type of exercise?
If you haven’t exercised for a while you should speak to your GP or other healthcare professional, and discuss the best way to get started. Depending on your current fitness levels you may need to start slowly, and increase the length and intensity of your exercise sessions slowly.
Generally though – if you have arthritis you will benefit most from incorporating mobility and flexibility exercises, muscle strengthening activities and general fitness exercises.
Any type of exercise you undertake should be gentle, and suitable to your current abilities. Low-impact activities are often recommended if you have arthritis as they result in less force moving through your joints. There are several types of low impact exercise that you might like to try out – these include:
Walking
Swimming, or other water exercise (including: aqua aerobics, water walking, hydrotherapy)
Tai chi
Yoga and Pilates
Strength/resistance training
Cycling
Dancing
Most importantly – find something you enjoy, and then do it regularly! "
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