Walking laps in the shallow end of a swimming pool is also great for strengthening leg muscles. Or you could try an exercise bike or cross-trainer. Walking, cycling and swimming are all excellent forms of exercise for people with arthritis.
It can also improve your sleep and help to reduce pain. This type of exercise burns off calories, so it can help if you need to lose a bit of weight.
This means any physical activity that raises your heart rate and gets you breathing more heavily. You could use light weights, a resistance band or try exercising in water. These are exercises performed against some form of resistance to strengthen the muscles that move and support your joints. These exercises involve taking joints through a range of movement that feels comfortable and then smoothly and gently easing them just a little bit further. There are three types of exercise you should try to include: Range of movement exercises You may want to give our exercises for healthy joints a try. The most important thing is to start gently and build up gradually. They’ll be able to help you work out a programme that works for you. If you haven’t done much exercise for a while you might want to get advice from a physiotherapist. And if you feel you’ve overdone things a bit, try applying warmth to the painful joint – or if it’s swollen, applying an ice pack may help. If pain makes it difficult to get started with exercise, you could try taking a painkiller such as paracetamol beforehand. You shouldn’t be afraid to use your joints. However, while resting painful joints may make them feel more comfortable at first, too much rest can increase stiffness. Many people worry that exercising will increase their pain and may cause further joint damage.