While walking up the Old Man Coniston in the Lake District a few weeks ago I realised I’d forgotten my walking poles.  Well I’m not too old and crumbly just yet but my knees do suffer from long walks and more specifically big mountainous walks.  The other reason I need my poles is to keep up with my boyfriend who has legs of steel and walks a lot faster than me!  Surprisingly though I didn’t suffer too much knee ache.

The way we exercise and the food we eat does affect the way we function.  Here are a few tips for helping your joints not only feel better this winter but stay healthy with a spring in your step for as long as you can:

1. Lose weight; you know if you’ve got a little too heavy.  The heavier you are the more pressure there is on your joints especially your hips, knees and ankles.  Losing weight will immediately improve your movement.

2.  Drink plenty of water to keep hydrated; as we get older we loose more moisture from our bodies including the cartilage that cushions our joints. So drink at least 8 glasses of water a day to keep your hydration level topped up.

3. Drink green tea; green tea contains antioxidants – nutrients that help prevent or slow oxidative damage in our bodies. Each time the cells of our bodies use oxygen to function they produce free radicals which can be mopped up by the antioxidant nutrients.  Green tea on it’s own is an acquired taste but if you get jasmine green tea or lemon or orange green tea, its not so bad.

4. Eat Omega 3 rich fish; sardines, tuna, herring, salmon – your body needs the oil for general good health, brain function and it has been reported it helps reduce inflammation of the joints.

5. Eat lots of fresh fruit & vegetables; they contain natural antioxidants & flavenoids that perform antioxidant activities as well as being anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and anti-allergic!

6. Top up your vitamin C; it works with Omega 3 oils and antioxidants to protect cartilage and joints.

7. Eat lots of fresh ginger & Turmeric; they are natural anti-inflammatory foods.  If you like eating curry, add extra ginger and tumeric! I’ve found a fantastic herbal tea from Pukka tea called ‘three ginger tea’ it contains ginger, turmeric and galangal. Check out Pukka Teas at www.pukkaherbs.com

8. Hyaluronic Acid; you can get it in a powder or tablets. It’s a natural protein the body uses to cushion joints, it is present in synovial fluid which is one of the body’s main lubricating components in joints and it’s responsible for resilience of cartilage!  There are lots of products available that contain hyaluronic acid, the one that I’ve used on myself, family and friends is Forever Livings ‘Forever HA’ it also contains ginger and turmeric for their anti-inflammatory properties and it really works! Go to my link: https://www.foreverliving.com/retail/entry/Shop.do?store=GBR&distribID=440100058921&language=en it takes you to my distributor page, if you click on supplements on the left side of the page you’ll find Forever HA listed.  The other product I’ve heard good reports about is from a company called Flexeze (www.flexeze.co.uk). Flexeze fortify is a mix of chondroitin, glucosamine & hyaluronic acid.

9. Glucosamine Sulphate; activates special cells in the cartilage to produce more collagen which holds the cartilage together, it also pulls more water into the cartilage giving it flexibility and elasticity needed for function.

10. Chondroitin Sulphate; believed to enhance the shock absorbing qualities of cartilage and blocks enzymes that break cartilage down, it also helps retain water in the cartilage similar to glucosamine sulphate.  Infact studies have shown that these two supplements work better taken together than taken individually.

11. Aloe Vera Juice; it’s like rubbing a healing balm inside your body.  If you regularly drink a high quality aloe vera juice it has many health benefits including an anti-inflammatory effect on your joints as well as helping boost absorption of nutrients from the intestines.  I drink aloe vera juice every day in the form of a product called ‘Forever Freedom’ it contains glucosamine sulphate, chondroitin sulphate and vitamin C all in one product! The juice (forever freedom) also contains a product called methylsulphonylmethane (MSM) that has bio-available sulphur to maintain healthy connective tissue and joint function.  Follow the link above to go to my distribution page at Forever Living and click on Drinks in the left hand column.

12. Ice; it’s free! If you have a joint that is swollen and sore, try applying ice for two to five minutes at a time, it helps to reduce the swelling and dulls the pain.  Just grab a bag of frozen peas, wrap a tea towel around it and bung it on.  Never put ice directly on your skin, it will burn you!

So now you have the information you can keep your joints in tip-top condition this winter – good luck!