Baker's Best of Health

Are your hinges (joints) so creaky in the morning that you feel like the Tin Woodman without his trusty oilcan? By age 40 or so, many of us begin showing a few signs of arthritis. Here’s how to ease the strain while strengthening your muscles—and make you feel like a new person!

1.   Hide the high heels. Wearing heels higher than 2 inches shifts your body weight onto your hips and the inner part of your knee joints, often making arthritis the result.

2.   Cut the calories. Gaining a single pound makes it feel like four times that much on your knees. If you lose as few as 11 pounds, you can reduce knee pain by 50 percent.

3.   Lay off the lattes. Drink more than four cups of coffee a day and you’re doubling your risk. The caffeine alters the mineral balance that’s needed to make cartilage and dries up the fluid that keeps your joints lubricated.

4.   Stretch yourself. Stretching for 20 minutes a day will make you feel a whole lot better. Check with your doctor to make sure you’re doing the most appropriate exercises for your form of arthritis.

5.   Exercise your options. Regular exercise lubricates your joints and helps with weight loss.

Of course, exercise is a tricky issue if you have arthritis. You obviously don’t want to push yourself too hard when you’re hurting. On the other hand, regular exercise lubricates your joints and helps with weight loss. If you’re ready to start an exercise program—and you have the go-ahead from your doctor—keep the following points in mind:

·        You’ll get the most benefit by alternating high-impact forms of exercise, such as jogging, with low-impact workouts, such as yoga or cycling. Obviously, this is true only if your arthritis is pretty mild.

·        Walking is almost always a good choice. If you have too much knee or ankle pain to walk, ride a stationary bike.

·        Swimming is a very safe and effective form of exercise. And because water supports your body weight, there’s little or no painful pressure.

Don’t let arthritis, damaged cartilage, or painful swelling and stiffness make you miserable. Our Maximum Strength Joint Formula is a special blend of not one, not two, but three clinically tested ingredients in one powerful new supplement. It’s specially designed to help maximize joint health, ease arthritis pain, increase flexibility, and give your sore joints a whole new lease on life. Try it—FREE for 21 days!