The Girl With Arthritis

This is part two of two connecting posts for a reader. The first section was all about diet changes to manage inflammation ( Diet to Manage Juvenile Arthritis ). This part is about exercise. When you have arthritis, it's easy to fall into the trap of not exercising. It's not purposeful, it just hurts to move around sometimes. Though pushing your limits is not recommended at all, it's important to try and keep active. Keeping active will help you keep your joints from becoming too stiff and keeping them strong. You may be sent to physiotherapy (physical therapy) to assist, and this is the person who should help you the most in your work out planning. Your doctor would be another good person to consult with. And most importantly, listen to your body. Stretching is good. Some people have found good results in yoga. Yoga can be very good for a person with arthritis but it can be hard to tell what our bodies can handle. As a person who couldn't handle yoga, I recommend t...

I never understood how severe my arthritis really is. I didn't see how stiff I walk until watching a video of me walking. I didn't bend my knees too often. I asked my friend if I 'walked like a robot' all the time, and he nodded, not thinking much of it. I didn't listen to the pops and cracks of my joints until my friend with arthritis walked beside me, and we seemed to mirror to sounds. I couldn't hear them until someone asked if we were okay. I didn't realise how sore I always am until right now, sitting in my favourite position with my feet propped up on the most comfortable chair I have. I didn't pay attention but now that I think of it, I'm always like this: I got used to relaxing in pain. It's like resting after a procedure when your comfortable but still bothered by pain. As I have said it once, I will say it again, I know my life could be so much worse. But this is me just coming to learn reality explain all of this.