Your Best Defense Against Joint Pain

By now, you know to eat right and try to live a healthy lifestyle. You understand that a lot of sugar is bad for you, as is smoking, and that you should be focused on getting your daily servings of fruits and veggies. But did you know that doing the things that are bad for you and not doing the good things can cause you unnecessary joint pain? That's right, your overall health can be a significant factor in whether you have severe joint pain as you get older. Here are some things you can do to fight the clock when it comes to joint pain. Drink More Water Drinking more water really does mean healthier joints. A dehydrated body will take water from areas including your cartilage. Increase your water intake, and monitor your consumption of salty and sugary foods and beverages, like soda, juice, and sweet coffee, which contribute to dehydration. Quit Smoking If you're a smoker looking for reasons to quit, here's one more. Smoking increases inflammation in our bodies, which can make joint pain worse overall. It also makes it harder for our bodies to heal. While quitting might be hard, your body will thank you in the long run. Exercise Exercise can help keep your joints flexible, while inactivity can cause joint stiffness and pain. Exercise also helps you maintain a healthy weight. Swimming, yoga, walking and biking are all great exercises to help with long-term joint health without being too stressful on your joints. Just make sure to stretch before and after to avoid too much strain. Healthy Diet Balancing your diet can help you reach a healthy weight, which will relieve extra stress on your joints. Leafy green vegetables, certain berries and fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids help your body fight inflammation. Many things change as we get older. Our bodies and our joints are changing, and sometimes this means increased pain and discomfort. We can't stop ourselves from getting older, but we can take preventive measures for our health and well-being. If we do this preventative work, getting older isn't something that we, or our joints, need to fear. The right choices every day can make a big difference as we approach our more golden years.