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How to Live With Your Arthritis

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Living with chronic pain can be challenging. If you've developed arthritis, you might be concerned that your life will become more and more difficult. While living with arthritis does require you to make some changes, it doesn't have to stop you from enjoying life. Instead of getting discouraged and letting pain rule your life, take these steps to keep living comfortably.

Exercise Regularly

When your arthritis is causing you pain, the last thing you want to do is exercise. However, research shows that gentle exercise can help reduce the symptoms of arthritis by strengthening the muscles around the joints. Exercising also helps you maintain a lower body weight, which puts less stress on the joints. Low-impact exercises such as water aerobics, swimming, yoga and the elliptical are ideal choices. Don't push yourself too hard. Start with 10 minutes, take rest days and ice your joints after exercising. Consult your doctor to find out which types of exercise are best for you.

Eat Right

Eating a balanced and healthy diet is especially important if you are living with arthritis. In addition to maintaining a healthy weight, consuming the right foods can help reduce inflammation. Foods high in healthy fats, such as fish, nuts, seeds and olive oil are especially beneficial. Be sure to eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day to pack your body with antioxidants and fight inflammation.

Change Positions Regularly

Whether you are watching TV or driving in the car, staying in one position for too long can lead to stiff joints. Try to move or change positions every 20 minutes to keep your joints limber. This also gives you some time to practice light stretches

Modify Your Home for Comfort

If you are living with arthritis, everyday activities can cause pain. Cooking, cleaning and basic self-care can become challenging. Luckily, you can make these small changes around your home that will make a big difference.

Invest in electric kitchen appliances such as can openers, crock pots, food processors and dishwashers to make cooking less stressful. Buy cookware with thicker and longer handles for easier gripping. Wrap commonly used handles with cushions or tape to make gripping more comfortable. Use a wheeled cart to move heavy items, groceries and laundry. Keep cleaning supplies on a cart. Install a raised toilet seat or grab bars to make standing and sitting easier. Replace round knobs with levers. Use an automatic toilet bowl cleaner so you won't have to scrub.

These and other small changes might seem trivial, but they quickly add up to make your life easier.

Ask for Help

Maintaining your independence is important, but trying to do everything by yourself will make life harder than it needs to be. If you are living with arthritis, learning to ask family and friends for help is important. Try to keep things in perspective. Just because you had to ask for help doesn't mean you're incapable of doing things by yourself. Everyone needs help at some point and letting people help you will reduce unnecessary stress.

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