Swim and Cycle Your Way Out of Arthritis Pain

Swimming

Get the most out of exercise with the water's support.

A lot of arthritis sufferers take to the water do so because of the buoyancy of the element, and the way it cush­ioned their joints from shock. Swimming is the best exercise since you don't stress the joints. If you can't swim, just kick your legs and do range-of-motion exercises in the water.

The water exercise is good, since you can move without much stress on your joints.

The stress-free environment that the water provides had pretty much convinced exercise physiologists that swimming couldn't have the same bone-building advantages as weight-bearing exer­cises such as walking and running. However, the exertion of swimming doesputput enough force on the bones to strengthen them.

Cycling

Bicycles aexercyclesles for indoor or outdoor exercise.

There is some controversy in cycling for arthritis. Pedaling puts too much stress on the knees and can cause inflammation. If your knees are affected, check with your doctor before making cycling part of your exercise routineExercycles

les are more flexible than bicycles, since you can reduce their wheel tension to zero, and with it the force your legs must fight. On the other hand, bicycling gets you out and about, and is therefore more appealing as a pastime, giving you a better chance of sticking with your exercise program.

Exercising is much more enjoyable when done with others. Establishing a regularly scheduled time and place also helps the maintenance of a good exercise program.

Many sufferers built variety into their workoutcombinoingn­ing more than one type of fitness exercise. You can walk at least two miles a day, or in summer swim a half a mile a day. During the winter months you can ride an exercise bicycle and work out on Nautilus machines three days a week for an hour at a time.

Physical Work

You don't have to be a 'jock' to get your exercise.

The fact that 'activity' is now considered the equal of exercise by many doctors is proof that fitness has come home. Not every­one can be a marathon runner, but anyone can make some slight increase in everyday activities that could lead to better fitness.

The idea that physical exertion 'counts' as exercise is a new one, however, and for every sufferer who consider gardening or housework as an exercise, there were others who explained that they couldn't follow an exercise program because they were too busy doing physical work.

Swimming and other water exercises are also excellent because:

• The buoyancy of the water protects your joints from shock.

• The water makes possible many kinds of movements that would be difficult or dangerous on dry land.

• The exercise may be bone-building even though it's not weight-bearing.

Cycling is often an ideal path to fitness becauseExercycles

yclmultispeedtispeed bicycles offer a wide range of tension settings (or speeds) to accommodate different levels of strength and ability.

• The exercise challenges and builds up the leg bones and muscles, although it may aggravate arthritis of the knee.

Physical Activity, such as gardening, is thought to be good exercise because:

• It confers some of the same bone and muscle benefits as other forms of mild exercise.

• It offers the chance for people who are not athletic to become more active, and consequently more fit.