How can someone stay fit when they are over the age of 40 with chronic arthritis in their hands and feet? Can it be done? The answer is YES! I am over 40 years old and have had chronic arthritis since my 30s. I take prescription arthritis medicine every day. Not exercising is not an option! But there are some things to consider.
Level of exercise: I had to find out how much exercise was good for me. Too much or too little carries negative effects. Push it too hard and I pay a hefty price for the next few days, but too little meant that it really did not help my body. In other words, it was a waste of my time. How hard should you push it? Listen to what your body tells you. Try it, and find out what works for you!
Whole body exercise: I wanted to do exercises that worked my whole body at once, I found two things. First, I exercise on the elliptical for an hour two times a week. I have a treadmill and used to walk and run on it, but I found that the pounding hurt my arthritic feet more than helped. So, I needed to find something else. The elliptical proved to be that something else. Its’ constant circular motion works well with my arthritis, and I work my arms and legs at the same time. In addition, I like to pray, listen to music, or listen to various speakers while I exercise. My wife watches TV or movies. Find some way to make it enjoyable for you!
Second, exercise will come easier if you follow this simple principle: Love what you do; and do what you love! I love tennis! Since I was a teenager, I enjoyed playing it. Tennis is a good whole body exercise! Having grown up with all brothers, I am competitive by nature. Tennis motivates me to exercise on the elliptical and get out on the court! I only play one to two times a week for about an hour and a half. Unfortunately, any more than this and my joints pay the price, but as I mentioned, you have to find the level of exercise that is good for you. Generally, I exercise on the elliptical two days a week and play tennis one day a week. But that’s not all!
Target areas: While I would love to stop with the whole body exercises, I do have a particular area of my body that I target with exercise three times a week. Unfortunately, I carry most of my weight in the stomach. I don’t drink, but if I gain too much, it looks like I have a beer belly. On the off days, I do sit-ups, leg-lifts, and other abdominal exercises to target this part of my body. These help me to tone that area of my body.
Sources:
On the benefits of elliptical machines: http://walking.about.com/od/treadmilling/a/ellipticals.htm
On the benefits of tennis: http://www.active.com/tennis/Articles/Five_Benefits_of_Tennis.htm
Abdominal Exercises: http://exercise.about.com/library/blbestabworkout.htm. The article uses different names for the same exercises that I mentioned.