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The Benefits of Flexibility Exercises

In my last blog I talked about the benefits of cardio, something I have recently incorporated more of into my fitness routine. Despite wanting to spend more of my fitness regimen doing cardio (with my biggest goal right now being to lose weight), I know that I also need flexibility exercises. Flexibility exercises have many benefits. Perhaps you are like me when it’s time to stretch. You sit down on your bottom, stretch your legs out in front of you and attempt to reach your toes. Notice the word “attempt.” I can’t do that…yet. But with flexibility exercises, my body … Continue reading →

Fitness Is Good for Your Health

While many of us look at fitness as a way to lose weight or tone up, we cannot underestimate another benefit to it. Fitness is good for your health. The reason I think this is important to focus on is because there are many out there who have tried fitness and for whatever reason, it hasn’t led to significant weight loss. Sometimes it is a matter of metabolism, your age or if you are a woman, going through a hormonal stage such as menopause. There are times, particularly once you get older, that losing weight becomes difficult no matter how … Continue reading →

Arthritis could Cause Knee Replacements to Rise

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Experts predict that the number of hip and knee replacements performed in the United States could skyrocket over the next seven years. Why? A larger elderly population in the country — seventy-six million Americans will hit retirement age in 2008. An increase in arthritis in the American population. Arthritis affects more than forty-six million Americans each year and is most common in older adults. An increase in obesity among Americans — every one pound of weight on your body means three or more pounds of pressure on your knees. Carrying extra weight can also make you more likely to develop … Continue reading →

Aquatic Exercise for Arthritis

A workout in the water has been a popular treatment for people with arthritis for the past twenty-five years or so. Why? Because a water workout can help improve flexibility, relieve pain, ease stiffness, and increase range of motion — without impact on affected joints. Benefits of a workout in the water: Age is no barrier. As long as you can float (and there are floatation belts to help you out) you can manage a water workout. Physical condition is no barrier. You don’t have to be able to walk or stand unassisted (again, those floatation belts come in handy) … Continue reading →

Inflammation and Your Appetite

Are you suffering from inflammation? Inflammation is a condition where your immune system is kicked into overdrive by stress, lack of exercise, an unhealthy diet, or exposure to toxins. Your body wants to fight something off. Inflammation can lead to weight gain, arthritis, and heart disease. Why? In a healthy, normal weight person, the body produces a hormone called leptin to control appetite and metabolism. When body fat increases, leptin levels rise to tell the brain to decrease appetite and speed up metabolism. In an obese person, the body isn’t getting the message from leptin — it may not be … Continue reading →

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

According to the Arthritis Foundation, the most common form of arthritis in children is juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The disease affects each child differently; some have a more mild case with few problems and symptoms while others have severe cases with serious complications. Symptoms of JRA include: Joint inflammation Stiffness and bending of the joints, also known as joint contracture Joint damage Change in growth Joint stiffness following rest, also known as morning stiffness Muscle weakness Weakness in soft tissues around joints with JRA There are three major types of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Pauciarticular JRA affects four joints or less. Approximately … Continue reading →

Reverse Aging With Exercise!

Exercise is good for you. It makes you feel healthier, more flexible, and stronger. It can help your coordination and make it easier to perform physical tasks. It can ease the pain and swelling of arthritis. But studies are now showing that resistance training can help rejuvenate muscle tissue in senior citizens! A study from McMaster University Medical Center in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada looked at the decline in mitochondria function in older adults. The mitochondria are known as the powerhouse of the cell, and its dysfunction leads to loss of muscle mass and general impairment of function. Muscle tissue samples … Continue reading →

Household Helpers for People with Arthritis

Arthritis isn’t just joint pain — it is also a loss of joint function. The two together can be incapacitating. Drugs can help the pain, but can’t do much for the loss of function. Assistive devices can help a person with arthritis do everything from bathing and dressing to cooking and cleaning. A reach extender can help you pick up small objects that may be over your head or that you can’t bend over to grab. You can increase your reach by up to thirty inches — that’s two and a half feet. A jar opener — the automatic kind … Continue reading →

Fitness Tip: Your Annual Checkup

Tomorrow, I am going to the doctor for an annual check up. I am not looking forward to it. I don’t care for going to the doctor anymore than the next person. From the peeing in a cup to getting a needle stuck in you for a blood sample to the rest of the uncomfortable procedures – it’s an important part of personal maintenance. It’s important to know if there are any physical problems and to keep an eye on things like your cholesterol levels and much more. Age Plays a Factor Too I turn 35 this year. I don’t … Continue reading →

Fitness Tips: Your Hands & Arthritis

Since exercise is an integral part of any natural remedy for arthritis, you should explore the wealth of activities that are available. Hand exercises, for example, are not limited to just strength but also flexibility and range of motion. By stretching and flexing the joints, muscles and overall hand structure, a person affected by arthritis can reduce inflammation through increased circulation and support affected areas by increased muscular strength. Repetitions of range of motion and stretching exercises should be performed a minimum of five times a week or daily if possible. Range of motion exercises are designed to restore or … Continue reading →