arthritis?

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josephsgoddess
josephsgoddess Posts: 25 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have arthritis in every joint. I'm 43, 5ft6in and 220lbs. right now i am walking on the treadmill at a pretty brisk pace for 45min and doing some circuit training. My joints are killing me. Please someone tell me that once i lose some weight it will be easier to keep up the excercise.

thanks
helen

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  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
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    Please someone tell me that once i lose some weight it will be easier to keep up the excercise.
    It gets better. You have to be patient and give it time.

    What worked for me was establishing the habit of regular exercise. At first I didn't walk very far (quarter mile), but I made it a point to walk every day. Once I had formed the habit of exercising daily I slowly added distance and then started adding in bodyweight exercises. I feel better now than I did ten years ago. I have less joint pain and I'm in far better shape than I was back then.

    Make it a priority to establish a routine and then over time make the routine more challenging. You don't have to kill yourself right out of the gate.
  • schonsdragon
    schonsdragon Posts: 102 Member
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    I am a walker and have arthritis. It does get better, not immediately but it does get better. Most days I have very little pain and don't need to take anything, however I have found that if I miss a day I actually hurt more, so it encourages me to continue.

    Set up a routine that you follow but don't be afraid to change it as conditions change. Make sure you enjoy the activity, if you don't enjoy it you will not continue it long term.

    I prefer to walk outside on a trail but right now the trail is closed for repairs so I am walking the neighborhood and during the coldest part of the winter I will walk on the treadmill. I have not worried about the speed I walk at. I do push myself and have found that as time has gone by my speed is faster and my distance is longer. I now walk between 4-5 miles a day at about 4mph. When I started I was about 1/4 mile at less than 2mph.
  • josephsgoddess
    josephsgoddess Posts: 25 Member
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    thanks for the response. I figured everyday pain would lessen without the burden of 100 extra lbs but i was hoping it would also ease up when excercising
  • schonsdragon
    schonsdragon Posts: 102 Member
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    thanks for the response. I figured everyday pain would lessen without the burden of 100 extra lbs but i was hoping it would also ease up when excercising

    To answer this yes, the pain does lessen even during exercise. I do not run because for me I hurt when I do but I can walk as fast as I want without pain. I have found that continuing to exercise keeps the pain away not only during my regular activities but also during exercising.

    If your joints are killing you them you might need to look at different activities or slowly build up the amount you are doing and talk to your doctor about it.

    Another thing I have found is that I need to make sure my shoes have proper support or again I hurt. I am finding I need to replace my exercise shoes every 300-400 miles because the padding is breaking down. This is normal from what I have been told by runners.

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