Get moving at the Arthritis Foundation’s Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis this holiday season. Join the thousands of walkers and runners who will hit the nation’s pavements, pathways and parks this winter to fight the nation’s most common cause of disability. It’s an event aimed at raising desperately needed funds for research, health education and government advocacy to improve the lives of people with arthritis.

The 2009 Jingle Bell Run/Walk is a fun and festive way to kick off the holidays with family, friends and coworkers. There are several options. You can sign up to walk as an individual or start a team and organize your very own holiday-themed costumes. You can even raise funds online by creating a free personal website and emailing donors or collect donations and turn them in prior to the event. Every dollar raised brings us one step closer to a cure. Participants will tie jingle bells to their shoelaces, don holiday attire, and complete a 3 mile route.

Arthritis or chronic joint symptoms are more widespread than imagined, affecting 46 million Americans, or one out of five adults and approximately 300,000 children.

As the nation’s largest holiday run/walk event, the Arthritis Foundation’s Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis offers a three-mile fun run and a three-mile fun walk with activities for the entire family.

This year’s event will also provide a run for dogs and 1K children’s race.  There are nearly 120 Jingle Bell Run/Walks for Arthritis nationwide with more than 80,000 participants. In years past, the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis has raised upwards of $3 million. To find an event near you check out the Arthritis Foundation website.

Many studies have shown that exercise can be a great help to people with arthritis. Exercise can reduce stiffness and joint pain plus it increases muscle strength, flexibility and cardiac fitness. It can also help with weight lose which can contribute to arthritis joint pain.

If you have arthritis you should talk with your doctor or other health care providers to find out what type of exercise they recommend for you. Everyone has a different situation and should talk to their doctor about their arthritis and what will work best. People with osteoarthritis in their hands will get different recommendations than someone with rheumatoid arthritis throughout their whole body. Your doctor can also decide how severe your arthritis is and how much exercise is enough and tell you the signs of when you should take it easy. Your doctor may even suggest starting with a physical therapist.

Many people start exercising with range-of-motion exercises and low-impact aerobics. A doctor or physical therapist can give you suggestions on a variety of exercises or sports that you should or should not participate in. A physical therapist who has experience working with people with arthritis can even show you how to do the proper exercises. They can design a home exercise program whether you have knee arthritis, arthritis in your hands, elbows, shoulders or hips. They can teach you about a pain-relief methods and even how to properly handle tasks like lifting heavy boxes or opening certain containers that may cause pain for people with arthritis.

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Joint pain can be caused by various types of Arthritis, by a sports injury or even Fibromyalgia. The pain comes from the inflammation of the joint from disease or injury and can also include swelling and stiffness. Exercise can help relieve some of this pain as part of your treatment plan. Always check with your doctor first to see if exercise is right for you.

There are three different kinds of exercise you’ll want to try:

• Range of Motion
• Strengthening
• Aerobic Exercise

Range of Motion

This includes stretching and exercises like yoga or tai chi. These should be done every day or every other day. By increasing your range of motion joint pain and stiffness can be decreased over time.

Strengthening

Increasing your muscle strength can also help with joint pain. Consider doing some minimal weight lifting and starting with 1, 2 or 5 pound weights. Even low weights can make a significant difference, so start low and stick with one weight for several days before moving up too quickly.

Aerobic Exercise

These exercises get your heart rate up by consistent movement of the large muscle groups. Running, jogging, bike riding are all good aerobic activities. Swimming is a great low impact exercise to help decrease joint pain.

Some arthritis sufferers start their exercise routine by applying heat right before they start and applying cold packs after the workout. The key is to keep it up a few days a week. If your exercise routine becomes boring try to a different type one, listen to music or ask a friend to join.

If swelling occurs, inflammation increases, range of motion decreases or pain from exercise persists for more than an hour after exercise contact your doctor.

As many people age they start to slow down and become less active. But not all! Some seniors continue to exercise into their 80’s and even their 90’s. A study done at Stanford University, says that running can slow the aging process dramatically.

Reported from BBC News “The study tracked 500 older runners for more than 20 years, comparing them to a similar group of non-runners. All were in their 50s at the start of the study.

Nineteen years into the study, 34% of the non-runners had died compared to only 15% of the runners.

Both groups became more disabled with age, but for the runners the onset of disability started later - an average of 16 years later.”

It is recommended that you get 30 minutes of moderate excercise at least 5 times a week, even as you age. So get out there and enjoy a brisk walk or bike ride. Try an aerobics class to get your blood pumping and make a big difference in your future.

We here at Flexcin are dedicated to help you achieve a life free of joint pain. While our products will help most people within 3 to 6 weeks, some factors such as diet may hinder the results. We’d like to keep you informed about how to maintain a balanced diet and a good exercise routine so you can live life to the fullest.

Here on our blog we’ll share health advice, exercise tips, healthy recipes, stories from customers and even Flexcin special offers. So check back often or sign up for our RSS feed to receive our blog post via email.

Here’s to a happy and healthy life!