From climbers to craftsmen, surfers to scribes and all between—preserving mobility of the joints is a VITAL component of our passion pursuits.
As the saying goes: ‘we are only as strong as our weakest link’. Our joints bear the load of an active lifestyle yet we often overlook their need for daily nourishment to preserve mobility longevity.
Health specialist, Kris Abbey* explores ‘how to preserve your weakest link!’
Even gentle exercise can be Harsh!
To enjoy a long and healthy life, everyone should make lifestyle choices that include a nutritious diet, regular exercise, and maintaining normal weight. Sounds simple right? And it is! But some of us (my hand is up) get a little over-enthusiastic and think more is… well, more.
This is where we roll out that over-used and under-utilised word… BALANCE.
Too much of anything is not good, even exercise! Too much exercise, especially high impact exercise, can put undue stress on our joints and potentially cause injury, inflammation and pain.
In addition to this, repeating the same movement over and over, or holding the same position for too long, can also cause pain–known as repetitive strain injury (RSI).
So what is High-Impact Exercise?
By definition, high-impact exercise is where both feet leave the ground at the same time, such as running, jogging, skipping, jumping jacks, plyometrics, most ball sports (or elements of) and some cardio fitness classes.
If you remember from high school science classes, Newton’s third law (the law of impact and reaction forces) explains the effect of High-Impact exercise. For every action (force applied by one body to a second), there is an equal and opposite reaction (the second applies an equal force on the first but in the opposite direction). In simple terms, your body must absorb the impact forces during high-impact exercise. The force on your body while running (high impact) can be more than twice that of walking (low impact). So when we say ‘I’m off to pound the pavement’ (when we mean we’re going for a run), that’s literally what we’re doing to our ankle and knee joints – giving them a pounding.
And what about repetitive strain injury (RSI)?
This is an injury to the musculoskeletal and nervous systems that is caused by repetitive tasks, forceful exertions, vibrations, mechanical compression, or sustained or awkward positions. Does tennis elbow, golfer’s back or bowler’s shoulder ring a bell? These exercises are not necessarily high-impact, but can still lead to joint pain.
The three primary risk factors for RSI are:
poor posture
poor technique
overuse
So, considering this, think about those forms of exercise we enjoy this time of year that may potentially injure our joints; Tennis, Golf, and Cricket, as well as swimming, surfing and SUPping. These are all great forms of exercise, but best enjoyed in moderation. And it’s not just these obvious types of exercises that make you susceptible to joint pain. Knowing what you now know about RSI, think about what long-stints in the garden are doing to your knees and back, or what perching over your camera waiting to capture that perfect shot can do to your neck.
But going back to that B word, if you keep things in Balance it is unlikely you will cause injury on your quest to good health. Also, being mindful while you exercise is really important. Think about your posture and technique, and if you start to feel tired, stop. That’s when you’re most likely to injure yourself, you lose concentration, your form drops and the pressure goes into the joints and the muscles that take the load (generally your knees and back).
Other things that help reduce the impact of exercise on your joints:
Always warm up before moving into high impact activities.
Engage your core, this helps with posture and supports your back.
Stretch and cool down after exercise, gardening, even gentle walking.
Variety is the spice of life. Mix up your exercise routine so you don’t over-use or put too much repeated impact through your joints.
Add strength workouts to your exercise repertoire. This builds your muscles surrounding your joints giving them added support.
Wear the right gear, especially a good pair of cushioned runners.
Have the right equipment. A bat too heavy, a surf-board too light means something has to compensate, generally your technique which increases your risk of injury.
Perform your high-impact exercises on a surface that will absorb some of the impact (soft grass, trampoline, soft sand, water and artificial turf – to name a few).
You can also improve your diet and take certain supplements to help support your joints and reduce the effect high-impact or repetitive activity. Keep your diet loaded with fresh fruit and vegetables, getting the right (lean) protein and limiting acid forming foods (processed food, sugar, alcohol, too much coffee, too much dairy, too much red meat and high fat foods). Acid forming foods cause inflammation at a cellular level, which can impact joints.
Supplements like Rose-Hip Vital with GOPO are great too. They are clinically proven to improve joint health, as well as other benefits such as being a great antioxidant (helps mop up the toxins your body produces during exercise), and contain Vitamin C, which supports the immune system, which is important if you over do things.
Any one who has had joint pain knows it’s not a lot of fun, but avoiding joint pain doesn’t mean you have to avoid exercise. In fact, that would be more detrimental. Enjoy all forms of exercise, don’t do too much of any one thing, keep your diet nutritious, and take the right supplements to support your joint. Again, Simple!
For more exercise and nutrition tips visit krisabbey.com and/or for more information about Rose-Hip Vital with GOPO visit http://www.rosehipvital.com.au/
* Disclaimer: Kris Abbey is a spokesperson for Rose-Hip Vital.
