Psoriatic arthritis is a condition that affects 5%-30% of people who have psoriasis. It leaves your skin feeling itchy and dry, while your joints are aching and sore. This combination results in major pain from a tremendous amount of inflammation occurring within the body. Working out becomes difficult given how painful it can be when you have this condition. However, that doesn’t mean exercise is completely out of the question. Here are some workout mistakes to avoid when working out with psoriatic arthritis.
If you’re not careful, you could be making psoriatic arthritis workout mistakes that could lead to your symptoms becoming even worse. People who suffer from psoriatic arthritis will often experience pain in different areas of their bodies. That means that certain motions will be more challenging for one person than they will be for another person with the same condition. Given how important staying physically active is to better overall health and wellness, we recommend doing it, but doing so without making psoriatic arthritis workout mistakes. Keeping your joints flexible will actually reduce the amount of stiffness and pain you feel in them.
If you want to avoid placing undue stress on joints and prevent additional inflammation, then you should keep in mind our list of workout mistakes people with psoriatic arthritis sometimes make. When you are diligent, you will avoid unwanted pain while still getting the exercise you want to enjoy.
Here are the most common psoriatic arthritis workout mistakes:
Not Warming Up
Before you begin any workout, you should warm up for at least 5-10 minutes. This will help you get rid of any soreness or stiffness you may have before or after working out. Also, you will get to enjoy more energy. Get those muscles moving by using resistance bands to stretch, walking on the treadmill, or going on the elliptical. You would even do some yoga like the sun salutation to get more limber.
Overexerting Yourself
Some people have a tendency to push themselves to their limits. While this is a noble pursuit, if you have psoriatic arthritis, it could be potentially dangerous. Instead of going for as intense of a workout as you can do, you should be mindful of your joints. Pay attention to how they are feeling. Not only should you check in with them while working out, but you should also be aware of how they feel afterward. It is normal to feel some pain. However, when the pain is more than you normally would expect, it is time to ease up on how rigorously you are working out.
Not Using Good Form
Using improper form when exercising, especially when it comes to strength training, could wreak havoc on your joints. If you are having consistent trouble with your range of motion while exercising, then you should look into working with a personal trainer. They will be able to able to guide you through the correct forms that exercises should be done in. Anything that is causing you too much pain in your joints or muscles should be replaced with a modified version of the exercise.
Not Resting Enough
It is a good idea to take frequent and adequate rest breaks. Additionally, if you feel especially sore the next day, then avoid going to the gym or doing a home workout. You should provide your body with adequate time to rest. On a scale of 1-10, you will want to keep your pain down somewhere need a 1 or a 2.
You can also rest while still working out by switching up what kind of exercises you are doing. For example, after doing reps with heavier weights, switch over to doing some with lighter weights. You can also switch entirely away from weights and over to an aerobic exercise in between heavier workouts. Another way you can help your muscles rest after you are done with your workout is to apply either heat or ice to your aching muscles and joints. Heat is generally going to help sore muscles, while ice will help swollen joints.
Not Drinking Enough Water
You are going to be sweating a lot while working out. That means you will need to keep hydrated by drinking a lot of water. Getting back the liquid and electrolytes you lost when exercising will help you continue flushing out toxins from your body, helping you reduce the amount of inflammation you experience. Additionally, the more water you drink, the more lubricated your joints will be. The one rule to stick to when drinking more water is to avoid drinking uncomfortable amounts of water. Drinking when you feel thirsty, and doing so throughout the day, is the best routine to follow.
Eating Poorly
To keep your psoriatic arthritis at bay, you will want to make sure you are eating a nutritionally balanced diet. This is even more true when you are working out. Your body will need more quality nutrition to become stronger and healthier. That means minimizing processed foods and sugars. Focus on getting enough foods and spices in your diet that reduce inflammation, like avocados and turmeric. Eating healthily will also help you avoid being obese. This is especially important for people suffering from psoriatic arthritis since a study found that there is a 60% higher chance of drugs used in the treatment of the condition simply do not work if someone is obese.
Conclusion
When you exercise smartly and avoid these mistakes, you will ensure you not only improve your overall health and wellness but avoid unwanted pain from working out the wrong way. To make your workouts and overall well-being even better, you can consider taking a joint supplement like JointFuel360. This powerful and all-natural supplement delivers potent ingredients, like Boswellia serrata, along with type II collagen and hyaluronic acid, which all promote healthier joints. You also get powerful anti-inflammatory compounds like black pepper extract and turmeric, to keep inflammation at bay. Now that you know what to avoid when working out, you can exercise without worrying about making things worse!
