Taking care of the body is often a priority that fluctuates in importance depending on your stage of life. Children and teenagers, if left to their own devices, may not make the best choices for diet and exercise that will promote long-term health. Those who have entered adulthood may have begun to think about their futures and are engaging in more healthy habits to prolong their quality of life. Older adults may be at a point where they are thinking about the physical decline that is happening in their bodies.
No matter how old you are, supporting your health should be a top priority. One area of the body that often experiences challenges, especially as you get older, is the network of joints. Whenever two or more bones come together, you have a pivot or movement point. Maintaining the health and comfort of these areas is crucial for a mobile and independent lifestyle.
While the best ways to take care of your joints are with a balanced diet that includes key nutrients and regular exercise, you can also provide broad support for joint function, health, and comfort by taking supplements with the right beneficial ingredients. Let’s take a look at how joint supplements can be used to properly support the health of your joints with certain benefits.
Cartilage Production and Maintenance
Cartilage is a flexible, connective tissue that has a presence in and around most of the joints in your body. It protects the joints themselves by reducing the friction between bones and acting as a shock absorber. As a result, this substance that your body makes is a critical piece of joint health. Ensuring that cartilage production is healthy and that this element is maintained well around your joints can go a long way toward supporting joint health. Glucosamine and chondroitin are two supplement products that are often taken to maintain healthy levels within the cartilage of the body, ensuring that this cushioning substance is present in your joints.
Supporting Antioxidant Activity
Many joint health supplements are designed to support the body’s production of natural antioxidant enzymes with ingredients like curcumin. This type of nutrient can play a significant role in supporting long-term joint health, helping to protect the body against oxidative damage. Antioxidants are resources that your body sorely needs, so supplements that encourage their natural production should be considered along with a balanced diet to promote long-term function and comfort in the joints.
Combining with Exercise
One of the many tips for healthy aging is to continue engaging in physical activity. Supporting the health of your joints is not just about the resources that you provide for them through food and supplements. The most effective strategy to promote longevity, function, and comfort for your joints is to focus on both nutrition and exercise. However, you should understand that the
body’s ability to engage in physical activity changes as you get older. Power-lifting might not be a great idea for a 65-year-old, nor is participating in contact sports. The body is becoming more fragile, but you still need to exercise to promote joint health along with your supplement plan, so find activities that are low-impact like walking, swimming, dancing, biking, or playing sports like pickleball.
Proper Supplementation Requires a Balanced Diet
The key to taking supplements and having them work well is doing so with a healthy diet in place. Supplements are not efficient delivery systems for nutrients, at least not when compared to food. This is why supplements should never be used to make up for gaps in your nutrition unless those gaps are dictated by health problems. As much as you can, get the vitamins and minerals that your cells need from food. Then, if you want to provide bursts of additional nutrients to your body, you can add supplements on top of the balanced diet.
Many make the mistake of relying on supplements for specific nutrients, ignoring the associated foods that would provide them otherwise. Do not make this mistake. If you want to promote joint health and promote longevity, pair the right supplements with positive eating habits. Also, consult with your doctor or a dietician to get the best perspective on how to use foods and supplements to support the function and health of your joints. The process may look different depending on your lifestyle and body type.
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
