Aging Fabulous » arthritis

Get Moving, Grandma!

Teri Cosenzi — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 11:30:00 +0000

There have been many exercise studies over the years, with almost every single one pointing out how exercise is good for us. But did you know that by exercising as little as 1 hour and 15 minutes a week, you can cut down on the pain you may develop later in the years due to arthritis?

Why the pain being alleviated is where in the question lies. Some believe that is because the joints are being worked out and have less of a chance to become arthritic. While others believe that by simply exercising, you are losing weight in places that may lighten the load on the joints.

Either way, get moving, now. It will benefit your joints later.

By the way, Denise Austin (pictured) is 50 years old, and yes – quite FABULOUS!

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How to avoid the aches and pains of getting older

admin — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 17:36:33 +0000

Sore shoulders. Achy hips. Throbbing knees. Lower back pain. Creaky bones. Regardless of how many birthday candles we have blown out in our lifetime, the mind will continue to tell us we are still 30 years old, that we can bounce out of bed and move throughout the day without limitation. Our physical body does not always agree, and the little aches and pains seem a reminder that the year of 30 candles, or 40 candles, has come and gone. But, are the aches and pains of aging a way of life we need to accept as we get older?

Not necessarily. With a few changes in routine, we can keep the spring in our step and maintain a pain-free vitality we have come to expect and enjoy. UCLA physical therapist Ziya Altug offers an anti-aging program designed to turn back the hands of time. In The Anti-Aging Fitness Prescription, Altug outlines an exercise and stress reduction program in maintaining flexibility and strength of both body and mind; simple skin and hair tips to regain a youthful look; recipes, meal plans and nutrition diary to make the most of our efforts.

While no one is telling us we will eliminate all the aches and pains of aging, there are proactive steps we can take to greatly minimize the annoying pain that creeps into our muscles and joints when we were not paying attention to the calendar. Foremost, is managing weight gain. Carrying around extra weight is hard on the joints. Basically, losing weight results from portion control in eating less — and in eating the right foods.

The more our body hurts, the less we move — the less we move, the more our body hurts. The less we move the more weight we are likely to gain.

Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, walking, swimming, biking, dancing, low-impact sports and exercising with weights are some of the ways to incorporate the kind of exercise that will make a difference as the candles on the cake continue to increase in number.

Stretching exercises add flexibility, weight-bearing exercise add strength. After that, Altug recommends chondroitin and glucosamine supplements, aspirin and/or ibuprofen to manage and control the aches and pains of aging.

Bottom line though, we should not accept the pain that slows us down as a fact of life as we age.

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Restless Leg Syndrome

SP Bragg — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 17:31:52 +0000

To be honest… I didn’t know this even had a name. All I knew is that when I sit in a car for more than a couple of hours, I get this really uncomfortable urge to move my legs. It might not sound like much, but this urge is every couple of seconds and it is horrible! So I went looking and sure enough there is a condition called Restless Leg Syndrome. Most of the time it occurs just before you go to sleep, so this had me stumped. The minute my head hits the pillow I’m out like a light. But then I found what I was looking for. Long trips in a car can trigger it!

Things you should know…

1. This strange feeling often occurs between the knee and the ankle. Yup… sounds right.

2. Even sitting in a movie theatre can trigger the sensation! So that explains why I prefer to watch movies at home. I can’t sit still long enough to watch the entire movie.

3. If you have diabetes, hypertension or arthritis, you are a prime candidate for this disorder. Bingo!

4. Suffers also often wake up during the night and as a result are sleepy during the day. Sound familiar??

What Can Help

1. If you are on medication, ask you doctor if it could be aggravating the condition.

2. Drink less coffee… really hate this one!

3. Cut down on alcohol… that means having to say no to that glass of red wine? And here I thought I was doing something right!

4. Exercise… that is an area that I have really been working on. Those four flights of stairs that I told you about a few weeks ago… I’m up to twenty. So at least that should be helping!

I’m going to cut down on the coffee. I know that I drink too much so we shall see if it makes a difference. Fingers crossed!

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