Its is difficult to perform certain exercises, such as walking or lifting weights, for someone with joint swelling from arthritis.

Normally, a health practitioner will provide a comprehensive arthritis treatment plan if and when you are diagnosed with arthritis. This plan includes various types of exercise as well as dietary restrictions and benefits. Foods known to increases arthritis symptoms include red meat, food additives, dairy products, and processed foods.

Yoga, tai chi, water aerobics, muscle strengthening, and weight training are the most popular arthritis exercises. Also included are range-of-motion exercises lik dance, and endurance exercises like cycling.

Before embarking on any type of arthritis exercise program it’s best to consult with your healthcare practitioner to be certain the form of exercise you choose will not further aggravate your arthritis symptoms.

Nowadays, most of the major insurance companies provide their members with discounts to health clubs. Some even offer discounts on health products such as exercise videos and dietary supplements. Oftentimes policyholders are not aware of these discounts, so be certain to check with your insurance carrier to see if they offer these types of discounts.

Also, some health clubs offer certain insurance members 50% discounts. Most of these clubs offer private training sessions with professionals who are sutied to help members find an ideal exercise program. However, a personal trainer is not usually covered under insurance and will be paid for out-of-pocket.

Another option is to look into joining your local YMCA or YWCA. Oftentimes, these organizations offer water aerobics, which has shown to be effective in decreasing arthritis pain. Water aerobics is a very gentle form of exercise and can be performed by nearly everyone. It involves sitting in a shallow pool and conducting gentle resistance exercises.

Heat is very benficial to sore joints, so it should be applied to joints regardless of the type of exercise program. Heat will make joints more flexible and should be applied for 5 to 15 minutes at a time.

You will want to perform stretch exercises after you apply heat to your joints and before you start your exercise routine. After you complete your exercises, use cold packs to help reduce inflammation on your joints.

It’s important to choose an exercise program that you enjoy and one that does not cause you intense pain. If you dislike the form of exercise or if it causes an increase in pain, chances are you will not stick with the program.