Even before my pregnancy I had issues with my joints. I have a long term injury with my left ankle due to an accident in my early teens and have RSI in my wrists due to the the amount of time I have spent on the computer over the last few years, add to that a hereditary weakened back condition and my bones are a bit fragile over all. So finding ways to try and keep my bones a little bit healthier everyday is quite important.
Keep Active – a small amount of exercise every day is better than 1-2 days of intensive exercise a week. Keeping your joints moving with gentle exercise like walking or swimming can actually be far more beneficial to your body if you suffer with joint issues. My ankles and back are always better when I am able to regularly walk Opie, even if its just for 10-15 minutes a day.
Up Your Supplements – Specifically glucosamine and collagen supplements. Glucosamine is a chemical compound which occurs naturally in your body and supports the cartilage in your joints, it is an essential building block of many parts of the joints, including ligaments, tendons, cartilage and synovial fluid. Collagen reduces joint pain, improves mobility and helps in cartilage regeneration to keep joints supple and able to glide over each other smoothly so as not to damage the bone. Neither are found in any food so needs to be increased via supplements. Click here for a gr§eat Liquid Supplement recently featured in a Daily Mail article.
Increase Flexibility – If you have the time, ability and local class available then Yoga can be a great way to gently increase your all over flexibility. You can also find lots of sites online and videos on YouTube that can help you practice yoga in your own home. Or try out some basic physio stretches every day to help keep your joints supple, that way you can target the joints you already have issues with. I stretch out my wrists and hands everyday to help stop my RSI flaring up.
Get Better Posture – This can alleviate unnecessary stress on many of your joints and can be achieved in a few different ways. If you work in an office try getting an ergonomic chair and keyboard for working at your computer. If you walk a lot look into getting a pair of comfortable walking shoes which encourage you to stand straighter when walking. You can even improve your posture while you sleep with these tips or by purchasing a better mattress or pillows.
Increase your Nutrients and Vitamins – Naturally increasing your intake of certain vitamins and minerals in your diet can do wonders for your joints. Things to try and increase would include Calcium (low-fat dairy products, leafy green vegetables, bread, cereal, orange juice and soy products), Vitamin D (fatty fish like tuna or sardines, egg yolks, cheese and liver), Vitamin C (citrus fruit, berries, watermelon, leafy and dark green veg, tomatoes, sweet potato and tropical fruit) and Potassium (bananas, white beans, baked potatoes, broccoli, yogurt, orange juice, lentils, cantaloup melon and halibut). You could also consider consuming natural raw honey, like the organic raw honey from Gold Bee to help keep your overall health levels up. Raw honey is great for keeping coughs and colds at bay.
Listen to your body and take a break – Sometimes the best thing you can do is just take a break! Your body sometimes just needs a rest, and carrying on pushing it will only mean more long term damage. So if you feel like you body and joints have had enough, just relax for a little while, soak them in a hot bath or get a massage, sometimes a little time out can for wonders.
Image Credit – Scottchan via FreeDigitalPhotos.net
thank you for the tips!
xoxo