Healthy joints allow you to move and exercise. You rely on them for every shift, movement or turn, to sit or stop.
Some joints are stable while others are responsible for movement.
Strong, healthy joints can also help prevent bone diseases such as osteoporosis and arthritis.
See how you can protect and save them.
1 Always wear the right shoe
The best workouts and fitness equipment should fit you like the shoes on your feet.
Improper sneakers leave the joints vulnerable to poor alignment and can cause sprains and pain during and after exercise.
Usually, the frequency of use determines the frequency of replacement of worn shoes. Do not judge by appearance.
The shoe’s internal support system can be lowered before the exterior shows wear. That’s why sneakers should have a good lining.
It is very important for the protection of the joints.
If you make a bad choice you will find after 2-3 weeks muscle pain in the calves, shins and soles.
In the long run the problem will appear in the joints and will affect the ankles, knees, hips and waist.
What to do: Look for the right shoes for your sport or workout. The size of the legs changes slightly with age.
Before you go to buy a sneaker, see a physiotherapist, who will analyze your gait. A foot scan would also help.
2 Do not forget the stretches
Frequent stretching throughout the day improves joint mobility by relaxing the surrounding muscles and tendons.
This flexibility between muscles and joints allows for a steady fluid movement.
Stretching is especially important for any workout.
They help to move the joint in the whole range, they do not require special muscular strength.
They should be performed twice a day, slowly. A small pull is tolerable, but not acute pain.
What to do: If you do a sedentary lifestyle every few hours, do a series of stretches for the whole body.
Focus on areas that are tense, which require more attention.
Add the stretches after the warm-up and again after completing a workout.
3 Pay attention to muscle strengthening
Support your joints by creating strong muscles and bones. Joint health is (literally) linked to bone health.
One of the best ways to build strong, healthy bones is to exercise with weights.
Also, if you run, strengthening your body will increase your overall performance in long distance running.
The stronger your muscles, the less impact running will have on your joints while at the same time, the risk of injury is reduced.
What to do: Use free weights and exercises with your own body weight to build strong bones.
Alternatively exercise specific muscle groups per day to avoid excessive exercise in any area.
Ask a trainer to supervise the correct execution of the exercises to ensure maximum results and minimal risk of injury, including unnecessary joint pressure.
He also asked for tips on how to lift / move heavy things properly involving large muscle groups, which reduces stress on the joints.
Finally, protect your knees by wearing knee pads.
The number of repetitions combined with the loads can cause incalculable damage.
If you injure a joint, give the appropriate recovery time.
4 Stand up straight
Poor posture quickly tires muscles and joints.
When we are tired, we tend to slip into the office chair and relax, which increases fatigue.
Office syndrome, where you remain motionless and sitting for a long time, especially in an office or in front of a computer, leads to relaxation and weakening of the muscles in the thighs, buttocks and hips and causes poor posture.
These muscles play an important role in stabilizing the body in walking and other activities.
When these muscles atrophy, the chances of a fall or injury to the hip and knee joints due to some activity increase.
What to do: Focus on posture and breathing. Mindfullness can reduce poor posture.
In addition to the curvature of the shoulders, poor posture can create tension in the neck.
Try to shake your shoulders up and down at regular intervals. Also, focus on your breathing.
Short, shallow breaths can lead to poor posture. Breathe fully from your stomach.
Ask a trainer to show you easy posture-enhancing exercises. Consider yoga or Pilates, which emphasizes breathing.
5 Watch your weight
Excess body fat puts a lot of strain on the joints.
For every extra kilo of body weight, a pressure equivalent to 4 kg is exerted on the knee and 6 kg on the hip.
With the extra weight they put more pressure on the joint, making it more vulnerable to injuries.
Adipose tissue also produces proteins, the cytokines, that enhance inflammation throughout the body.
In the joints, cytokines destroy the joint, damaging the chondrocytes.
Also Read
- 50 reasons to exercise, now!
- 5 alternative exercises instead of running
- The 3 mistakes we make when walking and we can not lose weight
In a non-overweight person losing a few pounds reduces stress and inflammation in the joint.
What to do: Find out what your healthy body weight is by measuring your Body Mass Index and set weight loss goals.
