Q2 WalkTimes/WalkSport Newsletter

 

 

How do you spell relief from arthritis pain?  W-A-L-K

 

Arthritis refers to more than 100 different diseases, including osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, spondylarthropathies, juvenile arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus. Arthritis mostly affects areas in and around joints, although the disease also can affect other parts of the body. It causes pain, loss of movement, and sometimes swelling.

 

When you look at those symptoms, you could easily conclude that people with arthritis don’t exercise. That was true about 20 years ago, but not now. Not only do they exercise, they do it longer than people who don’t have arthritis. According to research, 75 to 85 percent of people with arthritis who begin an exercise program are likely to stick with it for four years. The exercise adherence rate is close to twice as high as the average American’s.

 

Arthritis experts say people with arthritis are so good about exercising for one very important reason – they feel relief. People who exercise because they have high blood pressure, heart problems, or want to lose weight know that it is good to exercise, but people with arthritis feel that it is good exercise. When they walk, they experience relief from pain. The positive reinforcement keeps them going.

 

Exercise builds confidence that you can self-manage arthritis. That confidence comes from knowing you are strong despite the disease, capable of moving smoothly without straining the joints, and that your muscles absorb shock to your joints. The more you exercise, the more you believe in your ability to live a full, rich life despite the arthritis.

 

Most doctors recommend mall walking or some other form of low-impact exercise for people with arthritis. And why wouldn’t they? The fact that exercise can improve an arthritic person’s ability to do daily activities is a pretty impressive benefit including these benefits of exercise:

 

  • Prevent premature death. Many people with arthritis are inactive and unfit, factors contributing to coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and certain kinds of cancer. You may not die of arthritis, but it can limit your lifestyle and lead to fatal conditions.
  • Prevent disability. Excessive rest weakens and atrophies muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones; reduces joint range of motion; degenerates joint cartilage; and causes loss of endurance. These changes cause pain that is separate from arthritis pain but contributes to disability.
  • Relieve discomfort and despair. Appropriate exercise, such as mall walking, can alleviate joint stiffness and pain. Studies show that people with arthritis who are faithful exercisers have enhanced sleep and self-esteem, and they suffer less from stress, anxiety and depression.
  • Reduce costs. Medications and medical treatments are only part of the cost of arthritis.  A more significant cost is related to disability, which can lead to lost earnings, and in many instances, forfeiture of health insurance benefits. Exercise helps reduce disability and costs.

 

Exercise doesn’t cure arthritis, but a few hours a week of mall walking can help you sleep better, your muscles will be stronger, and your joints will work better. In a nutshell, it feels better to be able to feel better.

 

(from Mall Walking Madness, Sara Donovan with Gary Legwold, Rodale Inc., 2002)

 

 

May is National Arthritis Month. To learn more about arthritis visit the Web site of The Arthritis Foundation at www.arthritis.org or call 1-800-283-7800.

 

 

Did you know? ...

  • Walking was recognized as important to health and well-being as early as 400 B.C. The great philosopher and physician Hippocrates wrote, “Walking is man’s best medicine.”
  • You should replace your walking shoes about every 500 miles. Special tip: Buy two pairs of walking shoes. Wear one pair to walk in regularly, and wear the other pair just on Sundays. When you begin to feel the difference between the two pairs of shoes, it’s time to buy a new pair of shoes. Now use your previous Sunday pair for your regular walks and your new shoes as your Sunday pair.
  • Walking sideways burns 78 percent more calories than walking forward. Lateral motion takes extra effort by putting your body to work in unfamiliar ways. So add a little side step to your walking routine today!

 

Share your Success!  Share your mall walking success stories with us by writing:

My WalkSport Success Story

9280 S. Kyrene Rd., Suite 134

Tempe, AZ 85284

Or e-mail walksportsupport@healthways.com

 

Book it!

Schedule your mall walking time in your planning book just as you do other important appointments. Don’t let yourself down – be punctual and set start and finish times.

 

Don’t act your age! Take a kid with you on your mall walks, and do everything he or she does while you walk. Let him pull you around, peek in the fountains, make faces at the puppies in the pet shop window.  Kids know how to burn a lot of energy while they have their fun!

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