How are your joints feeling?

Joint pain is very common but it doesnt need to be. Here are my tips to help to avoid that nagging pain and to help keep your joints healthy and flexible:

1. Exercise. There's a common urban legend that exercise is bad for your joints. If typical vigorous exercise is not easy for you, try walking, tai chi and yoga as they are very low impact, yet offer many health benefits.

2. Achieve your optimal weight to improve your bio-mechanic function. Each additional kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body mass increases the compressive load over your knee by roughly 4 kilograms (nearly 9 pounds). Research shows that a weight loss of as little as 11 pounds can have a positive effect on joint function.

3. Eat a higher quality diet. Eliminate sugar and starchy carbs from your diet and definitely stop drinking soda. These foods do absolutely nothing to support healthy joints or a healthy body.

4. Optimize your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is great for bone health and also supports a healthy immune response.

5. Get plenty of omega-3 fatty acids from high quality fish oil. Omega-3's support your joint health.

6. If the above are not working try meeting with a trainer to get some good strength ideas that will not further your joint pain, some massage to help with your tight muscles or chiropractic for a little extra help.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!