Weight Loss and Arthritis: Could Losing Weight Help You?

When it comes to weight loss and arthritis, the two go hand in hand. Imagine a stack of towels on a table. When they are just sitting there at a normal weight, they are fluffy and easy to move. However, if you place a lot of weight on them, this causes the towels to become dense, hard to move, and under pressure. The same happens when you are overweight. You are putting a lot of pressure on your joints and that could cause arthritis.

How Much Can It Help: Weight Loss and Arthritis?

It is estimated that for every pound that you take off your body, you reduce the amount of stress on your joints by three pounds in your knees. More so, if you have pain and discomfort in your hips, for every pound of weight you lose, you may reduce the pounds of pressure on your hips by six. That is a significant amount of relief from just a few changes in your diet and health. Of course, it is not easy to lose weight, but when pain reduction is the goal, it is well worth it to find a solution for weight loss and arthritis.

Managing Weight Loss and Arthritis

How can you lose the weight, then, without hurting yourself? If you have arthritis, or osteoarthritis, which is more likely to be the concern, how are you going to exercise enough to lose weight? You already hurt from the pain of walking. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

• Small exercises may help at first. Try doing stretching or non-intense exercise first.

• Do activities that do not strain your muscles. Bike riding and swimming are two outstanding options for weight loss that does not come from joint usage.

• Work on weight training exercise. These may build the muscles that move your joints. In doing so, you may see a significant improvement in your body’s overall health and your ability to move your joints easy.

How much do you have to lose to see results? When it comes to weight loss and arthritis, you do not have to aim for 100 pounds as your initial goal. In fact, most studies indicate that those who lose 20 pounds see a significant improvement in their overall pain and discomfort from arthritis. This means that you do need to eat right and consider other weight loss options that fit your lifestyle.