Joints are those parts of an individual’s body in which two or more bones meet in order to allow for movement, such as movement of legs. Joints bind the skeleton together in order to provide structure and permit muscles to move bones in order to execute tasks such as running, reaching etc.
As individuals grow old, there is a decline in bone mass and density, due to minimal presence of minerals and calcium in their bodies. With such reduction in bone mass and density, the bones become fragile and even compressed. Moreover, fluids that are present in the joints also decreases, causing the joints to become stiff in individuals. Pain in the joints has been common among the elderly population who has crossed the age of 50 years. Even the young and middle aged population has been experiencing such joint pain in the recent decades.
Over the past two decades, even the young and middle aged population has started complaining about their inability to lift any specific item or goods or even walk for more than few minutes. This is considered to be an alarming trend, especially with the bodies of young people getting older when they are still young.
Some lifestyle changes are recommended in order to keep the joints of individuals healthy at all times. They are as follows:
- Drink enough glasses of water during the day:
Since the cartilage present in joints contain about 65% of water, it becomes necessary to drink sufficient amounts of water, which can help in letting our joints stay hydrated. This helps an individual to decrease the risk of any damage to the cartilage. Moreover, individuals also obtain numerous benefits for the body from drinking enough water. It is recommended to consume about 2 litres of water every day.
2. Remain active all through the day:
People must stay active the entire day by engaging in some form of activity that includes physically moving around often at regular intervals. If an individual who is on a desk job can take a break frequently by walking a few steps after an hour or two would still be considered as staying active. It is recommended to diligently stay active all through the day in order to stay away from any problems that might occur especially in joints of individuals.
- Build-up your Muscles:
The muscles support the joints of an individual. Individuals must try to work towards improving the strength of their muscles. Muscles can be the best partner to support the joints of individuals. It would be ideal to have a certified trainer by your side when you are working on your muscles, as they can guide you with the moves to be performed without causing any damage to the body parts.
- Spend some time for relaxation everyday:
It is highly important for an individual to relax for sometime every day. The body needs enough rest and it is important that you take good care of yourself. However, it is left to each individual to decide how and when they plan to rest every day. There are many options for a person such as listening to music or watching television or idling for some time. In this way, a person is able to regain his mental health.
- Improve Your Posture:
The joints may also face problems in case an individual has a posture that could lead to application of extreme pressure on their joints. Therefore, it is highly essential that an individual sits in a posture that allows their body to transfer weight to the other body parts. Moreover, the spine should also be in a proper shape. By ensuring a proper posture, individuals can avoid any suffering from problem of joints, including any other problems.
- Follow a diet that improves the strength of joints:
Individuals are encouraged to consume food that will aid in strengthening the joints. By following a diet that involves excessive intake of sugar or saturated fats or meat, joint pain in individuals can worsen over a period of time. Therefore, it is better to plan one’s diet in such a way to protect themselves from any pains involving the joints.
- Avoid smoking and consumption of alcohol:
We are already aware about the fact that smoking is injurious to the health of individuals. Apart from being responsible for causing lung cancer and heart diseases, smoking could also affect the bones and joints of individuals that can impact their recovery from any surgery or injury related to muscles. Besides, smokers are at a higher risk of suffering from osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition that causes the bones to become fragile due to loss of tissue, which could arise as a result of factors such as absence of calcium and vitamin D or any changes experienced in the hormones by individuals. By quitting smoking, individuals would be able to protect their joints. Similarly, heavy alcohol consumption could raise the risk of individuals developing certain forms of osteoarthritis. Additionally, consumption of alcohol could affect the capacity of the body to build muscle, since it can disturb the functioning of human growth hormone that is required to help in building and maintaining the muscles as well as collagen. Apart from that, an individual can be prevented from facing man other problems by quitting alcohol consumption.
- Work towards decreasing stress in your life:
Stress can occur in individuals when they are employed in jobs that require individuals to undergo a lot of work pressure, or may be for domestic or personal reasons or any other reasons. This can lead to inflammation in the body of individuals.
Inflammation that is caused can sooner lead to joint pain in individuals, which could even worsen as time progresses. Therefore, it is important for individuals to reduce stress in their lives to protect their joints.
- Consumption of Vitamin D and Calcium:
Calcium and Vitamin D can help in the development of healthy bones in individuals. Individuals can obtain vitamin D when they expose themselves to the sun as well as in other ways such as adopting a diet that contains a lot of vitamin D. By consuming vitamin D supplements too, an individual can attain some strength. The presence of low calcium in individuals is due to decrease in bone density and also increased risk of fractures.
These points are mainly recommended for the benefit of individuals, keeping in mind the role played by joints in helping individuals stay in motion at all times and in several ways. Hence, the joints have to be protected at all times, in order to help individuals to lead healthier lives.
Image Source: https://healthseed.sg/2018/10/16/9-ways-to-keep-your-joints-healthy/
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a health advice. We would ask you to consult a qualified professional or medical expert to gain additional knowledge before you choose to consume any product or perform any exercise.
