I have been reading that exercise is helpful for Arthritis. According to a pamphlet from my primary care physician’s office, 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day has been shown to significantly reduce arthritis pain. It can be taken in three groups of 10 minutes, if needed.
Hmmm…. I have been sitting out of exercise because of the pain.
I decided that worst case scenario is that I try and fail. So, in addition to the food and medication experiments, I am now also working on an exercise component.
I am a big believer in a person finding the exercise that they enjoy because enjoyment will be a key to keeping at it long-term.
I really enjoy martial arts. It is exercise with a goal. I am always learning something new, working on improving something previously learned, and competing against only myself, despite being in a class with many other people. I love that I am learning valuable skills (which have come in handy once or twice). As a bonus, this is a sport that is done barefoot. I hate shoes and I have always felt more steady without them. So, karate is my sport.
But karate can come with high impact and my pain has been pretty bad. I don’t want any additional impact to my joints. So, I decided that the warm-up portion of class and the kata practice would be a good way to get back into it without the impact and that I can step out of class when it is time for partner work.
The stances really work my stiff ankles in so many directions. I’ve been 2 two classes on this abbreviated schedule. I am forcing myself to stay through the practice of my highest kata, working through the pain. Immediately after class, my joints have been hurting pretty badly, but the pain is different. It’s hard to describe. But later in the day or the next morning, I have had less pain in my joints than what I’ve been experiencing.
I am starting to wonder whether consistent exercise might be a key to long term pain reduction. So, experiment #3….Exercise: “No pain, no gain”.
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