Exercises To Ease Your Aching Joints And Muscles
By Chris Ruxton, Personal Trainer from Deep Relief – www.deep-relief.co.uk – muscle and joint pain relief specialists.
We are all a bit stiff and sore as we emerge from the latest lockdown. That’s according to the new Deep Relief report – THE LITTLE THINGS THAT MEAN THE WORLD – the muscle and joint pain relief specialists. The Deep Relief report research found that women in the pero-menopausal and post-menopausal stages were more likely to report joint swelling (20%), aches (68%), stiffness (54%) and pain (54%) and pain (27%) compared with men and pre-menopausal women.
Christopher Ruxton
Here are 10 top tips from Chris Ruxton, Personal Trainer at Deep Relief – www.deep-relief.co.uk – that show us how to be kind to our joints:
1 Sitting for hours at a time is well known to weaken muscle strength, aggravate postural problems and generally make back and hip pain worse. Make sure you get up regularly to stretch when sitting for long periods.
2 Taking oral painkillers long-term for pain relief isn’t recommended for all sorts of reasons. Instead, go for a triple action pain relief topical gel like Deep Relief which contains ibuprofen and levomenthol and provides targeted, penetrating pain relief combined with fast cooling and anti-inflammatory effects.
3 Warm up before any kind of exercise. The Deep Relief research found that more than a third of people don’t warm their joints and muscles up before going for a long walk, hike, bike ride or generally exercising. It’s not a good idea as cold muscles can be easily pulled and injured. A quick warm up is a wise investment of time.
Pic: Shutterstock
4 If you are overweight, try to lose some weight, even just a kilo or two. Being overweight places a lot of unnecessary stress on your joints.
5 Avoid any exercise which involves sudden or high impact movements such as twisting, running and jumping.
6 Now that swimming pools are open again, swimming or Aqua Aerobics are ideal ways to exercise whilst placing minimal impact on your joints. Plus, the warmth of the water may help soothe any pains!
Pic: Shutterstock
7 A great exercise for releasing stress and tension is to stand up with your arms stretched above your head, then grasp each elbow and flop forwards like a rag doll. Keep your knees slightly bent. At the bottom of the stretch, sway gently from side to side. Repeat 8 to 10 times, breathing in as you stretch up and out as you collapse down.
8 Everyone can benefit from resistance or strength exercises, regardless of age or fitness. Strength work helps to maintain muscle health and core stability.
9 Certain foods can help if you are experiencing aches and pains. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel and tuna.
Pic: Shutterstock
10 Walking is by far the best exercise as it keeps you active and is brilliant for your bones, joints and muscles. It’s also great for the mind and soul.
Deep Relief Anti-inflammatory Gel, prices start at £4.19 from Asda, Boots and Sainsbury’s
Moira Chisholm
I'm the Health Editor on My Weekly and am always interested to hear what's new in this fascinating field. I also deal with the gardening, shopping pages, general features, our website content and the Ask Helen problem page. I have a special interest in Christmas content because I'm on the team for Your Best Ever Christmas Magazine, too!
