Are you someone who suffers from joint aches, soreness, and pain in your joints? Do you already take medication as directed by your doctor? If so, there may be a few daily habits that cause joint pain that you are doing. Some of them may surprise you, so keep reading to learn about all of the different daily habits that can cause joint pain.
Drinking Coffee
With over 150 million Americans drinking between two and three cups of coffee a day, you have probably not thought twice about stopping. After all, it gives you that boost you feel you need to get started and get through the day. However, you may actually be making your joint pain worse.
The majority of the issues with drinking coffee while having joint issues stem from the sugar content added to it. Some cups of coffee, like those found in places like Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts, come with massive amounts of sugar. You may find yourself drinking upwards of 36 teaspoons of sugar that brings with them an added 700 calories. The problem with sugar is that it will create more inflammation in your body. The more inflammation you have in your body, the more damage you are doing to your joints.
Skimping on Exercise
Another reason why your joints may be acting up more is that you’re not getting enough exercise. All you need is a few minutes of light cardio, like walking, to reduce the stiffness and soreness you may have. This is because exercise lubricates your joints and gets the blood flowing to them.
You can do some stretching and make it a daily habit. Even if you’re experiencing flare-ups, light exercise can actually diminish the pain you are feeling. As long as you keep your movements simple, you can reduce the unwanted pain you have in your joints.
Smoking
If you have a smoking habit and experience joint issues, you may want to quit right away. It will only make your symptoms worse. Smoking itself can even increase your risk of rheumatoid arthritis in the first place due to the inflammation it causes in the body.
Besides being unhealthy for you, it prevents certain drugs used to treat arthritis from working effectively. Smoking while suffering from joint pain may also prevent you from wanting to work out or get exercise because you will lack the endurance to do so.
Eating a Lot of Meat and Dairy
When you eat large quantities of red meat and full-fat dairy, you are giving your body a tremendous amount of saturated fats. This results in more inflammation within your body, as well as a reduction in anti-inflammatory compounds.
What you will want to do is deliver more omega-3 fatty acids to your body, while lowering the amount of saturated fats. You will notice that once you’re eating more salmon, sardines, and mackerel, you will have less pain in your joints. If you want to go with a vegan option, you can chomp on some walnuts, chia seeds, or flax seeds.
Eating Fried Foods
Fried foods, and especially the deep-fried variety, are going to increase the amount of inflammation you have in your body. Some of the biggest and most popular culprits are potato chips and fries. These are going to make joint inflammation much worse for you. Additionally, there will be more pressure placed on your joints, especially in your knees.
These foods are also very fatty and will lead to you putting on a lot of pounds very quickly. If you dropped 5 kgs right now, you would reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis in the knees by half! You can swap those fried foods for vegetables that come in all colors of the rainbow. They don’t have many calories but have a great deal of fiber, making you feel fuller for longer periods. Also, they come packed with inflammation-fighting nutrients.
Not Having an Ergonomic Kitchen
You can optimize your kitchen setup and make it more ergonomic. It’s likely that you don’t have your go-to tools and appliances readily available. This could result in your bending your back and knees more than you need to. Why not make things a little easier by placing items you use most often at a level and in a location that requires minimal effort? You can also get special ergonomic tools, like spring-action scissors, spatulas with rubber handles on them, and others.
Using Electronic Devices Before Bed
If you’re scrolling through Facebook, shopping on Amazon, or watching something on Netflix right before bed, you’re going to have a harder time falling asleep. This is due to your mind being stimulated, as well as the bright light coming from the screen.
Research has found that not getting enough quality sleep is tied to having worse joint issues, as well as depression, for people suffering from arthritis. Ideally, you will want to turn off your electronic devices at least half an hour before bed. If you are still experiencing elevated levels of joint pain, bump that up to an hour.
Not Taking a Joint Supplement
You may be eating healthily but not getting the adequate amount of nutrients needed for healthy joints. That is because food today is far less nutritious than it was 50 or 100 years ago. With this comes the issue of being overfed and undernourished. If you want to provide your joints with the best chance they can have at being healthy, you will want to take a specially formulated joint supplement.
JointFuel360 is a popular joint supplement that comes with several all-natural ingredients that will eradicate inflammation. The anti-inflammatory ingredients, including a black pepper and turmeric combo, make a significant difference in the amount of joint pain you will feel. Antioxidants, like resveratrol, also help reduce soreness and pain. Additionally, added type II collagen will help keep your joints strong.
Conclusion
There are many daily habits that can cause joint pain. Now that you know about the main ones, you can work to avoid them and see your joint issues dissipate. There is no need to live in agony when there are easy diet and lifestyle changes you can make.
