Arthritis and Exercise

So you have arthritis, swollen and painful joints. You probably think “there is no way I can exercise”. This truth is, research consistently shows that exercise is essential to managing arthritis. Exercise helps to reduce joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and also improves flexibility.



Other benefits of exercise include;


1) Reduced risk of heart disease
2) Reduced risk of diabetes
3) Reduced risk of obesity and obesity related disease.
4) More energy.
5) Better self-esteem.


Whether you have arthritis or not you should be exercising. Starting any exercise program can be tough (especially if you have joint pain) so remember to start slow. So what is slow? First off let’s talk about what is beneficial to arthritics.


Strength/ Resistance Exercise: The stronger your muscles and connective tissues are the less stress on your joints and therefore less pain. Strengthening exercises can help build your muscles so they can absorb shock and protect your joints from injury.


Flexibility: The more flexibility you have the more pain-free range of motion you will have. Gentle stretching exercises should be performed on most days of the week (preferably every day) they will help reduce the risk of injury when performing more strenuous exercises as well as every day activities.
Cardiovascular Endurance: As with anyone, cardiovascular training has many benefits and is essential to a long healthy life. Health Canada suggests 150 minutes of accumulated aerobic activity per week in bouts of 10 minutes or more. This could be dance, cycling, water activities or walking to name a few. It is essential (when performing cardio) to reach your target heart rate. Learn how to calculate your target heart rate here.

To begin your new lifestyle you might try gentle stretching exercises until you become comfortable with exercise. You can then move on to cardio and strength training with (if nothing else) more range of motion and less chance of injury. Another great way to improve strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular health when first starting out is water exercise classes. Water exercise takes the load and stress off of the joints which thereby reduces pain. Once you are stronger and more comfortable you can move into strength training with resistance. When you first start strength training you might consider isometric (muscles contract but there is no joint movement) exercises until you can build a good strength base.


As you can see, arthritis is not a reason to avoid exercise; in fact it is a good reason to exercise. Don’t let arthritis stop you from enjoying your life to its fullest. Be sure to talk to your doctor before you start any exercise program.