10 Easy Arthritis Exercises for Daily Relief

Walking is a great basic exercise for those with arthritis who want to maintain an active lifestyle. Equipment-free exercise strengthens bones and increases your overall activity, since it is an aerobic workout, depending on how intense you make it. It is recommended to walk at a moderate-to-hard intensity to reap the benefits of walking. Do this 3-5 days a week, for 10-30 minutes at a time. You'll not only see an improvement in your ability to keep walking, your breathing and your general feeling of well-being, but you'll also be working on your bone health, which is good for anyone with arthritis.

Stretching can relieve tired muscles, invigorate the body and strengthen the muscles and ligaments that surround your joints. Start with gentle hamstring stretches. Use a towel around your foot as you lie on the ground to bring your straightened leg towards you. Stretch your thigh by bringing your heel to your buttocks as you stand on one leg, and stretch your calves by standing on the edge of a step. You can stretch the muscles in your foot by standing on a tennis ball. Move up the body from the feet and legs through the back with different stretches, like rolling the spine down and up, reaching over your head, crossing your arms in front of you and stretching your neck from side to side.

Strengthening is crucial for helping your body deal with everything arthritis throws at it. If you have a base of strength in your muscles, dealing with some symptoms may be easier than if you don't train at all. Weight training is a form of strength training, and when done properly, it is hugely beneficial to the body. You don't have to go crazy "pumping iron" in pursuit of bulging muscles, but performing a strength-training workout 2-3 days a week can increase and maintain your muscle strength.

Aerobic exercise helps with overall fitness. It can be a hard slog at first because an aerobics class is a series of highly active cardiovascular movements that need strength and stamina, but you can also perform low-impact aerobic exercises. Aerobic exercise classes are often found in gyms and even outdoors, led by workout groups or personal trainers. Find the length that suits your endurance, pain levels, and comfort, and work your way up to a longer workout that makes you feel fantastic. Aerobics benefit the whole body.

Suspension training is leveraging your body weight by hanging from straps or bands anchored to a point on the wall or wrapped around something stable. This particular workout is intended only for those with arthritis who do not have wrist or ankle pain, as these stress points are targeted. For the overall body and especially the core, it is wonderfully beneficial. It's a little bit like planking, with support. You'll need a trainer to take you through the correct way to do suspension exercises, and once you have mastered the technique, you will soon start to feel a major difference in your core strength.

Pilates is a specific type of exercise ideal for people with less mobility than others. It is wonderful for people with rheumatoid arthritis who want to gain stronger muscles to stabilize and support the joints. Pilates focuses on the body's core, which includes the abdomen, obliques, lower back, bottom and inner and outer thighs. It develops strength, endurance, flexibility, and coordination and is hugely beneficial for anyone wanting to get strong with exercise. Some think it is similar to yoga, but while yoga focuses on flexibility, Pilates focuses on range of motion and core strength. Pilates also uses reformer machines for specific training or rehabilitation.

Practicing yoga daily, or at least three times a week, is a great way for those with swollen, tender joints to manage the progressive effects of arthritis. Yoga uses deep relaxation techniques that benefit most people, but it also helps those with arthritis find a tranquil space to heal, work on their bodies and promote a healthy immune system. The stretching involved helps movement and mobility, and the strength and concentration used to hold each of the poses benefit the entire body and soul.

Swimming is an excellent way to get a full-body workout. Best of all, it doesn't put the strain on your joints that land-based exercises involve. For those with significant joint pain, use a water-jogging belt, which helps you walk while suspended from the bottom of the pool. This will take away an enormous amount of pressure on the joints of the hips, knees, and ankles. If there is no belt available, simply walking from one side of the pool to the other at a relatively brisk pace will do as much for you as swimming laps. There are water aerobics classes you can take, held at most public pools, or a personal trainer can help you design a routine specific to your arthritis needs.

Cycling is a great all-around exercise for people living with arthritis who have problems in their feet and ankles. It's low-impact as far as anything below the knee is concerned, but it still packs a cardiovascular punch and works the leg muscles for a top daily workout. Something to build on: start with 10 minutes at a time and grow each week to 30 -40 minutes. If you don't own a bike, or if you don't feel like cycling on the streets in winter, or simply if you live in the city and can't get out, gyms have great recumbent exercise bikes to use.

Tai Chi is similar to yoga in that it is a low-impact exercise. Practitioners use slow, deliberate movements that strengthen the body and reduce pain. This is an ancient Chinese tradition, practiced for centuries, that aims to find peace and calm within the body. It takes on the notion of meditation, as well as the benefits of improving mobility and balance. 20-40 minutes of Tai Chi per day is a good goal for people with arthritis. There are many varying styles of Tai Chi; find the one that suits you best, and enjoy the benefits.