If your joints are feeling as rusty as the tin man’s, you’re not alone. About 25% of adults in the US suffer from chronic joint pain and stiffness [1]. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could tip a can of oil on your achy shoulders to make the pain go away?
Oiling your joints might not fix your creaks and groans, but there are a number of joint-soothing steps you can take in your daily life that are just as easy. Our 7 tips for healthier joints are supported by scientific studies, and they don’t require any pharmaceuticals or costly treatments.
Pick a few of these joint health tips to add to your daily routine and enjoy more flexibility and decreased joint discomfort every day.
The Basics of Joints
Before we get to our list, we need to cover a few basics of joints. They’ll help you understand how joints can become achy and inflamed in the first place.
- Joints are located where bones meet, and they allow your body to move. Without joints, movement would be impossible.
- Joints are complex structures made of muscles, ligaments, bone, cartilage, and synovium.
- There are six main types of joints: hinge, ball and socket, condyloid, saddle, pivot, and gliding.
- Joint discomfort can result from overuse, underuse, injury, genetics, and many other factors.
- As you age, your joints become less lubricated, causing irritation. Joint components like tendons and cartilage can also become damaged.
- The body reacts to joint damage and stress by triggering an inflammatory response, which can cause pain and stiffness. Chronic inflammation of the joints causes various forms of arthritis.
Why Joint Health is So Important
Some believe that serious joint pain will never happen to them. Others who suffer from joint discomfort assume that it’s an inevitable part of life. Neither of these beliefs is true. And both can be dangerous to your long-term health.
Neglecting your joints through a lack of exercise, overexertion, or a poor diet can lead to debilitating arthritis early in life. When your joints start to deteriorate, it affects everything you do—from work to activities with friends to sex. The bottom line is that it can have a major impact on your quality of life.
A lack of mobility can also cause a decline in mood and increased stress. The dissonance between your desire to be active and the inability to move your body can be very frustrating. Over time, it creates a vicious cycle with the lack of movement exacerbating the inability to move, and this can affect your relationships with friends and family and even cause depression [2].
If you already suffer from joint discomfort, “powering through it” is not the way to go. This can cause further damage to your joints and increase the chances of permanent damage and deformity [3].
These joint health tips can go a long way towards increased range of motion and flexibility, and it can prevent your joints from deteriorating past the point of no return.
7 Essential Joint Health Tips
Joint care should be a part of your daily health regimen. Here are a few easy ways to keep your joints flexible and strong.
1. Do Light Exercise
You need to use your joints to keep them nice and limber. That means getting regular exercise. But you don’t need to run a marathon or enter the boxing ring. In fact, exercises that involve jerking movements like stomping and pounding can be bad for joints [4].
Swimming, yoga, biking, and tai chi are gentle exercises that strengthen the joints. About 30 minutes per day will do—just don’t forget to stretch before and after. Stretching is also excellent for maintaining healthy joints!
2. Eat Anti-inflammatory Foods
Spicing your diet up with some anti-inflammatory ingredients is a delicious way to protect your joints and reduce the risk of discomfort. Nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants prevent and soothe inflammation.
For an antioxidant burst, eat plenty of fruits and veggies. Why not switch to a smoothie for breakfast? Omega-3s come from fatty fish like salmon as well as nuts, seeds, and avocado. Try to eat less meat, as it can trigger inflammation [5]. Instead, eat more plant-based proteins like beans and tofu.
3. Take a Joint Health Supplement
Getting loads of antioxidants and omega-3s in your diet isn’t always easy. If you’re not crazy about veggies, you’re going to have an issue getting enough joint nutrition. And if you’re trying to lose weight, you’re probably avoiding the notoriously high-calorie omega-3 sources.
A daily joint health supplement gives you all the joint health nutrition you need without having to scarf down salads or power through avocado-peanut butter shakes. In fact, supplements like Manna Liposomal Joint Relief give you much more joint-strengthening nutrition than you would normally get from your diet.
Manna’s Joint Relief formula contains 10+ powerful ingredients that support complete joint health and fight joint discomfort.* Plus, it’s an easy-to-drink liquid formula – so no harsh pills or chalky powders! It is by far the easiest way to take care of your joints!
4. Practice Good Posture
Poor posture forces your joints to support the weight of your body, which can cause tension and damage. Even worse, slouching puts stress on the most important joints in your body—those in your spine. That’s why years of poor posture hunched over a computer at work can lead to neck and back pain.
Improving your posture is a lot easier than you think. Switching out your old office chair with an exercise ball or an ergonomic posture chair can improve your posture instantly. Doing yoga is also an effective way to improve posture, and it has a number of other joint health benefits too.
5. Cut Back on Smoking and Caffeine
You already know that smoking is bad for you, but it’s especially bad for your joints. Smoking greatly increases the risk of joint diseases like rheumatoid arthritis [6]. It also causes weakened bones and can cause thinning in articular cartilage (like the meniscus in the knee), which has an impact on joint function. If you suffer from joint pain already, smoking can make it much harder to find relief.
Caffeine is also a risk factor. Consuming too much can have a negative impact on the cartilage in your joints and increase the risk of osteoarthritis [7]. We’re not saying you have to give up your morning cup, but consuming caffeine in moderation will help protect your joints.
6. Decrease stress
Stress is a major cause of inflammation throughout the body, and studies have found that it can also cause swelling of the joints and joint pain [8]. If your job or home life is a high source of stress, try to plan some activities during the day to mitigate your anxieties. Stress-relieving activities include meditating, reading a book, or just taking a few minutes to yourself during a busy day.
If possible, try to get more sleep. Healthy sleep habits lower stress and reduce inflammation.
7. Practice Bone and Muscle Health
Your joints are intricately connected to your skeletal and muscular systems. In fact, most joints are made of muscles and bones, at least partially. Healthy muscles and strong bones support flexible joints by keeping your tendons flexible and your cartilage thick.
Luckily, you can maintain muscle and bone health by taking a 30-minute walk 3-5 times a week and by doing some daily stretches. If you take vitamins, consider adding a bone health supplement to your regimen to ensure you get plenty of calcium and vitamin D for bone and muscle support.
Conclusion
Your joints are the links that connect every part of your body. They keep you moving, active, and happy.
Even mild joint discomfort can have a big impact on your quality of life, and it’s tough to get rid of joint pain once it starts.
Incorporating these joint health tips into your daily routine can make a significant difference in your overall well-being.
By maintaining regular exercise, eating anti-inflammatory foods, and practicing good posture, you can improve your joint flexibility and reduce discomfort.
Prioritize your joint health today to enjoy a more active and pain-free life!
FAQs
Gentle exercises like swimming, yoga, biking, and tai chi are best for joint health. These activities strengthen the joints without causing excessive stress or impact.
A diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods, such as fruits, vegetables, fatty fish, nuts, and seeds, can help reduce joint inflammation and discomfort. Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants are particularly beneficial.
Yes, joint health supplements, like Manna Liposomal Joint Relief, can provide essential nutrients that support joint health and reduce discomfort. These supplements often contain ingredients like omega-3s, antioxidants, and other joint-strengthening compounds.
Stress can cause inflammation throughout the body, including the joints, leading to pain and swelling. Managing stress through activities like meditation, reading, and getting enough sleep can help reduce inflammation and improve joint health.
Yes, smoking increases the risk of joint diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and weakens bones. Excessive caffeine consumption can negatively impact cartilage health and increase the risk of osteoarthritis. Reducing smoking and moderating caffeine intake can help protect your joints.
- https://www.webmd.com/arthritis/news/20211018/us-adults-affected-joint-pain-stiffness-cdc-report
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/expert-answers/rheumatoid-arthritis-depression/faq-20119780
- https://www.emedicinehealth.com/ask_what_will_happen_if_arthritis_left_untreated/article_em.htm
- https://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/news/20091130/too-much-exercise-may-pose-arthritis-risk
- http://blog.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/high-cooking-temperature-inflammation/
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nicotine-dependence/expert-answers/rheumatoid-arthritis-smoking/faq-20119778#:~:text=Yes%2C%20smoking%20is%20linked%20to,less%20likely%20to%20experience%20remission.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7230935/
- https://www.arthrosurface.com/fitnesshealth/10-things-joints-hurt/
