Category: Weight Loss Exercise

I thought that over the next few days I would put up some posts about arthritis. My wife has settled with arthritis for years and not a lot has helped. There are of course a lot of pills on the market notably Vioxx and Celebrex (which my wife did take) the problems with these drugs is that the Cox-2 inhibitors have been linked to heart problems.

Arthritis

Arthritis is a general name for over 100 conditions and diseases that affect the joints of the bones. Many people with arthritis do not have any symptoms in the early stages, Later, there may be joint pain, swelling, and stiffness. The muscles surrounding the joint may be sore, too. Some common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, tendinitis, and gout.

While not all of the causes of arthritis are known, several factors that may contribute to a person’s risk of developing the condition have been identified, including:

• Age: Arthritis can occur in people of all ages, including children, but it affects a large number of seniors.
• Heredity: Family history may determine the shape of the bones or whether there is weak cartilage in the joints.
• Being over: Extra puts stress on the joints, especially knees and hips.
• Injury and disease: Joints may be injured when doing the same activity repeatedly, such as sports injuries. Infections in the joint may also cause harm.
• Lack of physical activity: Activity is important in strengthening the muscles that support the bones, for helping joints move, and controlling body .
• Stress: Arthritis pain may flare during times of emotional stress.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, It can occur at any age, but usually develops after the age of 45 in both men and women.

Osteoarthritis usually affects the joints that carry our body -the hips, spine, knees, and feet-but it often affects the fingers, too.

In a healthy joint, the ends of the bones are covered by a smooth, tough material called cartilage that absorbs shock when we move and allows the bone ends to glide easily over each other. Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage wears down and becomes thinner. This exposes the ends of the bones, and small bumps (spurs) of new bone might grow on them. The spurs decrease the space in the joint cavity, and this limits movement. Bits of cartilage may break off and cause pain and swelling (inflammation). Over time, the cartilage might wear away completely, and then the bone ends grind together. This grating sound can sometimes be heard when the joint moves.

The symptoms of Osteoarthritis usually develop slowly over time. The joint may be painful, swollen or stiff. Pain is often worse after exercise. Resting helps to control it. Sometimes there is more joint pain in rainy weather.

If the disease gets worse, the muscles that hold the joint together might get weak from lack of use. Other times, the joint loses its shape and may not work.

Everyone likes to have shortcuts to losing weight. Although as we all know the important things really are to have a good diet and to get exercise.

Having said this though there are times that you can make a real difference quite easily. Some people make such incredibly poor decisions that they can turn things around pretty easily. So for these people here we go.

1. Stop smoking – Smoking lowers the amount of oxygen that your body can get to your muscles. In fact if you quit smoking the amount of oxygen in your system will increase even within the first day. Some people smoke in the bizzare thought that by smoking you will eat less and although it is hard to eat with a smoke in your mouth, this will be counteracted by the fact that you will not have the energy to exercise and keep yourself healthy.

2. Don’t drink – Drinking alcohol will lower your metabolism and force your body to store more fat. I do not know the details of this but if you go about having a couple of beers every night then cutting these beers out will make a huge difference to how you feel, your outlook on life, and your chance to be motivated to workout in the evening.

3. Cut out Deep Fried Food – Deep fried food is the worst kind of food that you can eat in two ways. Deep frying radically increases the amount of fat in any food, and deep frying destroys any nutrients in the food before it gets to your mouth. Look for instance at a piece of chicken, A deep fried chicken breast has 28 grams of fat compared to only 8 grams of fat in a oven baked breaded chicken breast. Do the math, that chicken breast will go from 260 calories to almost double at 460 calories.

4. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables – Fruits and begetables on Weight Watchers and most other dits are almost free calories. The reason that ist is easy to eat lots of fruits and vegetables on any diet is again due to two things. The high water level in fruits and vegetables create more fullness for less calories and secondly fruits and vegetables are high in vitamins, minerals, and many antioxidants that will help you get healthier in the long run. Eat lots of fruits an vegetables and you will surely not have room for all of those crappy foods that call you by name.

As I mentioned earlier you may already know these things and follow them. If this is the case then please email this article to someone that can use it. These are really easy tips and will make a monumental change to your health just by applying them.

As we all know it is difficult to do exercises at our computers and stay in shape. Most of the time you are probably sitting just like me right now, hunched over the keyboard, body frozen in a position to type and slightly tightening the shoulders (that will not feel so good later today).

The best way to stop yourself from getting those aches and pains at your desk is to take quick breaks occasionally during the day to stretch, and here are a bunch of stretches that I found courtesy of Dr Rick Morris.

First remove your shoes and loosen restrictive clothing. Be sure that your area is free from hazards.

The Bird Grand your right ankles with your right hand with your right knee bent. Hold on to your desk with your left hand (standing on the right side of your desk); now bend over at your hip (not your waist) keeping your back straight. You should feel a nice stretch in the back of your left thigh and the front of your right thigh. Hold this position for one minute and repeat on the opposite leg.

Neck and Upper Back Stretch Hold your hands together behind your back as low as possible with your palms facing away from your body. Bring your chin all the way down to your chest and take five deep breaths in and out. Now turn and tilt your head to the right while pulling down with your left arm. Hold for five deep breaths. Now perform this to your left side.

Shoulder Rolls Shoulder Rolls, with your arms dangling at your side, roll your shoulders forward, upward and backward in a circular motion for 30 seconds. Start slowly and progress to a fairly quick motion.

The Teapot Stand with your feet shoulder width distance apart. Put your hands on your waist. Turn your left foot out completely (90 degrees) and your right leg in 30 degrees. Now tilt to your left while your left hand is on your left thigh or knee. Hold your right arm straight out from your shoulder. Continue bending to the left side as long as it feels comfortable. Hold this position for eight breaths. Be sure to continuously hold your left leg with your hand wherever it is most supportive. Continue this on the other side. You should feel a stretch to you outer waist and hip on the side opposite the direction that you are bending.

Outer Neck and Shoulder Stretch Put your right arm behind your back while tilting (not turning) your head to the opposite side. You should feel a pull in your right neck and upper shoulder. If a pinching sensation occurs to your left side, do not perform this exercise. Hold the position for five deep breaths in and out, relaxing more deeply with each exhalation. Repeat to the opposite side.

Neck Sling Clasp your hands behind your neck, elbows out, with your little fingers pressing up against the base of your skull. Now arch your middle back against the back of a firm chair (it should not fall back). The back of your chair should not be higher than the bottoms of your shoulder blades and lower than the bottoms of your ribs. Now allow yourself to fall backwards letting your head BUT NOT YOUR NECK extend over the back of the chair. This should feel great; if not, do not go back as far. Just relax like this for 30 seconds.

Neck Circles Neck Circles, put your arms down to your sides and let your chin drop to your chest. As you take in a deep breath, turn and tilt your head to the right. As you exhale drop your head back to your chest. Next, breathe in while turning and tilting to the left. While exhaling, bring your left head back to your chest. Start off slowly without pain and progress to a fairly rapid and continuous breathing and neck movement pattern. Do this for 30 seconds.

The Lumbar Arch The Lumbar Arch, lean against the back of your chair with the support being firm and fitting well within your low back. Arch against this as long as it feels comfortable. Place your hands behind the back support or under the seat to give added resistance (note: do not lock your neck backwards). Take five comfortable deep breaths while in this position.

Bend Overs Bend Overs-Straddle your seat with your legs wide apart and locked under the chair. Push your bottom all the way to the back of the seat and bend completely forward and down. If pain or instability begins to occur, stop, and see your chiropractic doctor. This could be a sign of a weak disc, Hold this position, if it is comfortable, for five deep breaths. Next, twist and bend over one leg and then the other. Each position should be held for five deep respiratory cycles.

The toughest thing about these exercise is starting to do them. Try them out today and see how musch better you feel. The key of course is to take good care of your posture in the first place but these exercises are going to do a worl of good for you as well.