Fitness And Special Concerns

Why is it important to exercise if I have arthritis?

If you have been diagnosed with arthritis, it's important to stay active. That will help maintain normal range of motion in those joints affected by the arthritis. You don't want joints affected by arthritis to get too stiff so you are not able to use those joints. Also, it helps with the pain management associated with arthritis. Arthritis is particularly painful. And by getting into an appropriate aerobic exercise program, you can maintain your exercise levels which is good for your heart and your lungs which may be affected by your arthritis. It also helps maintain the range of motion in those joints affected by arthritis and it helps you with the pain management. Aerobic exercise will help you release endorphins which are the natural painkillers of the body. Those come from your brain. When people with arthritis who are in a regular aerobic program often report that they experience less pain.

Will strength training increase my blood pressure?

With regards to fitness and special concerns, strength training can increase your blood pressure temporarily while you're participating in it. The actual act of lifting weights will temporarily increase your blood pressure, so it'd be important to make sure that you can tolerate having those increases in the blood pressure while you're exercising before you initiate a weight lifting program or a strength building program.

How will exercise affect my cholesterol levels?

A consistent exercise program will affect your cholesterol levels positively. It will increase the percentage of HDL, or high-density lipoproteins, that are found in your body, and decrease the percentage of LDL's, low density lipoproteins, that are found in your body. It's the ratio of those two, HDL over LDL, that we take a look at when we do blood tests on patients to make sure that they have the appropriate levels of HDL and the appropriate levels of LDL. The higher the HDL and the lower the LDL, the better your cholesterol levels are considered to be. The medications that are available, that you see advertised on televison, are what they're trying to accomplish. So, for some people it's necessary to take a blood cholesterol lowering medication as well as an exercise program. Somebody who's relatively young and healthy may be able to accomplish the same thing without taking the medication.