Carrying out simple everyday tasks becomes a painful experience for an arthritis patient. But incorporating few lifestyle changes can make living with arthritis much easier.
Eating Healthy
For an arthritis patient, it is of great importance to take a healthy and balanced diet. One must ensure to take all nutrients and also include a variety of food from all the different food groups.
Maintain Ideal Weight
Being overweight can add extra pressure on your hip joints, knees and feet. This will result in mobility problems and increased pain. Maintaining a correct body weight is highly recommended for people with arthritis.
Regular Exercise
Make exercise a part of your daily routine. Regular workouts improve your joint mobility, enhance your muscle strength, boost your immune system and also reduce stiffness.
Avoid Sitting For A Long Time
Sitting in the same position for a prolonged period of time can cause stiffness. Take regular breaks to move around a little.
Proper Sleep
A proper sleep is a must for a body to regenerate and repair. Develop a healthy sleep schedule by fixing your sleeping and waking up time. A warm bath, deep breathing or meditation just before sleeping ensures a more peaceful and calm sleep.
Proper Joint Protection
Joints tend to get weak in arthritis. When carrying out odd jobs try using your larger joints or your whole body as much as possible. For example, if you have to push a door open, lean against it instead of pushing it through your hands.
Getting In And Out Of Car
Simple things like getting in and out of car can become difficult with arthritis. To make it easy, first back in your seat and then swing your legs in. Do the opposite while getting out.
Help For Fingertips
Holding a fork and spoon or brushing your teeth becomes painful if you have arthritis in your fingers. You can use foam cylinders on your cutlery and toothbrush to ease off the pressure on your fingers.
Make Shoe Wearing Easy
Tying your shoelaces can be a herculean task for an arthritis patient. Switch on to elastic laces and ask some one to tie it for you, with your shoes on. Now you can easily take your shoes off and on without undoing the laces. Use a shoehorn if you need.
Squat Instead Of Bend
Try squatting to pick things off the ground. Bending over puts lots of pressure on your back and can be very painful. Hold a steady furniture piece and squat slowly to avoid putting extra pressure on the knee joints.
Divide Your Work Schedule
Doing few tasks from time to time is advisable than working continuously for a long period of time. Divide your work into smaller task and organize them according to the area of operation. This will not only give your body the time to take rest from time to time but also save you from getting up and down the stairs time and again.
Incorporate Adaptive Aids
Use laborsaving items available in the market to avoid unnecessary stooping, bending and scrubbing. For example use tin openers and mixers in the kitchen. Use vacuum cleansers instead of cleaning with a broom etc.
Ask For Help
Being independent gives your self-esteem a boost. But with arthritis it can prove fatal if you are not cautious. Educate your family and friends with the challenges about the disease and the limitations it brings along with it. Ask for help whenever you need to avoid any undue strain on your joints. For example while shopping in a departmental store, ask for assistance to get the packed goods dropped to your car or better get it delivered at home.
