Arthritis is a chronic disease, and people who suffer with some form of it have to make many adjustments to their lifestyle, in order to have a good quality of life while they cope with the pain and stiffness brought on by their condition. There are many things a person can do if they have a form of arthritis, to make their lives better. Let’s look at a few of them.

Look on the Sunny Side of Life

It’s a cliché, I know, but taking a positive attitude towards life in general, and living with arthritis in particular, makes all the difference in the world to your quality of life. Being able to stay positive allows you to make the adjustments necessary to treat your disease. Mind and body therapies are available, and most of them can be done at home, with herbs from your garden, and setting aside a place to meditate.

Take a Walk

It doesn’t have to be on the wild side, but walking is a great exercise for arthritic patients. Gentle walking, so as not to overstress your joints, keeps the joints in motion, and exercises the weight-bearing bones and muscles to boot. Walking is aerobic, even a gentle walk, so you’re moving oxygen and blood to all of your cells, improving the cells’ ability to function. Aerobic exercise is sometimes known as “cardio”- exercise that requires pumping of oxygenated blood by the heart to deliver oxygen to working muscles.

Move to the Beat

Exercise, in all forms – range of motion, isotonic, isometric, strength-training and aerobic – keep your muscles and joints active. As a sufferer from arthritis myself, I know how hard it is to keep moving when your joints are stiff and painful. I also know that stopping is the worst thing you can do – once you quit moving, it’s practically impossible to start. So, move – put on some music and dance! Get a Jane Fonda video and work out. Try some Tae Bo. Go up and down your stairs multiple times. As the Nike slogan says, Just Do It!

Keep a Journal

This seems like a no-brainer, but most of us don’t like writing a journal. However, when trying to formulate a treatment plan that works for you, a journal is a necessity. Arthritis flare-ups can be triggered by many things – stress, certain foods, certain medications, to name a few; if you don’t keep track of what you’re doing, what you’re taking, or what you’re eating, you’ll have a really tough time isolating what does, and what does not, work for you in the long run.