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Relieving Joint Pain with Yoga and a Healthy Diet

Joint pain can present itself at any age, and can really put a damper on the way you live your life and go about your daily activities. It can be so severe that you are unable to move about and function in a normal manner without severe pain. With that said, it’s important to look for ways to not only manage the pain but relieve it and hopefully prevent it from occurring so often. For many people, the solution lies in keeping active through gentle stretching such as yoga and eating a healthy well-balanced diet.

Let’s take a closer look.

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Combating Joint Pain with Yoga – the Basics

While yoga has all kinds of benefits going for it, one of the most obvious is the fact anyone of any age can take part in it, and there is no equipment needed. As long as you’ve got a large enough area available to you for the stretches, then you can get started.

The practice of yoga is based on gentle stretching that encourages balance and flexibility, all while there is an emphasis on breathing. All of this can be helpful to people suffering from joint pain, as it's slow, it's not high-impact, you aren't putting stress on joints and muscles, and you can really take your time and go at your own pace.

If you’re new to yoga, a great tip would be to enroll in a beginner’s class to get the basics mastered. From there you can build upon what you know and continue practicing on your own at home. Then again, maybe you enjoy the class atmosphere, and you can continue on with the class structure.

As for what poses are best for those with joint pain and inflammation, there are actually a few that are recommended. These poses are the child's pose, sun salutations, angry cat, cow pose, bridge pose, supine twist, the crescent lunge, downward-facing dog, and the pelvic tilt. Just by learning this handful of poses, you can build an entire routine.

Combating Joint Pain with a Healthy Diet – the Basics

Just as important as exercise is your diet. Did you know the foods and drinks you choose help to determine how healthy your bones, joints, and muscles are? You may be choosing the wrong foods without even realizing it, thereby erasing any progress you may have been hoping for in combating your joint pain.

Ideally, you want to focus on natural foods rather than processed items. Processed foods tend to be high in trans-fat, which doesn’t help your joints. There are also foods that are known for their anti-inflammatory properties. Some of these anti-inflammatory foods include red peppers, cherries, canned salmon, turmeric, oatmeal, kale, and walnuts.

You may also want to look into the benefits of supplements, in particular, those that are known to reduce inflammation. Take for example bone broth protein powder supplements, which has many various health benefits. Bone broth is incredibly rich in nutrients such as gelatin and collagen - both of which play a crucial part in building strong connective tissue in your body. The bone broth is also filled with chondroitin sulfate, and glucosamine, which is well known in terms of helping to restore cartilage and joint flexibility.

You’ll find plenty of research online in terms of the best foods to reach for, and even recipes that are tailored to those suffering from joint pain.

Healthy Lifestyle Changes

At the end of the day, relieving joint pain is something that can completely alter how you go about your regular routine, and can help you to live a happier lifestyle. Things such as a healthy diet and yoga can help you to make those changes.

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