Citizens Memorial Hospital | Vitality | Summer 2020

COMMUNITY ORTHOPEDICS Your joints are truly amazing. Imagine walking with your best friend, bending to smell a flower or tossing a ball to your kids without your flexible joints. To help keep these movable marvels healthy and free of diseases that can harm them, like arthritis and osteoporosis, practice a little joint TLC. 4 steps tobetter joint health 2 Lighten your load. Excess weight puts added stress on the joints of your knees, hips and feet. Every extra pound you gain puts four times the stress on your knees, for example. But losing even a small amount of weight may help the health of your joints. To keep pounds from piling on, practice portion control. Enjoy your favorite foods but in smaller amounts. Eating plenty of naturally calorie-light fruits and veggies as part of a balanced diet may also help. And don’t forget to think about what you drink: Many beverages are high in calories. Cutting back on calorie-laden beverages can help you lose weight. 1 Keep moving. Exercise helps keep muscles around your joints strong and in good working order. Aim for 50 minutes of some type of moderate- intensity exercise, such as brisk walking or water aerobics, every week. And do some activities to strengthen your major muscle groups at least two days a week. If you play sports, protect your joints by wearing any recommended safety pads. 8 VITALITY Summer 2020