Are your joints starting to creak or get sore for no particular reason? Don’t ignore it—a little prevention may ward off years of pain and pills. If you know you’ve got arthritis or think you might, a new study shows that one of the best approaches to staying supple at the seams is exercise. A study at Northwestern University of 3,500 people in their 50s and 60s with arthritis showed that, “Those who reported getting the recommended amount of physical activity—at least 30 minutes per day, five days per week—were least likely to become more disabled by arthritis during the study,” according to a recent WebMD article. Researchers also found that those who weren’t quite as active reaped almost as many benefits. WebMD laid out the chart/quiz doctors used in the study to determine if participants were active enough. It’s fun to take yourself even if you have zero pain:

- Less than 10 minutes of daily moderate or vigorous activity

- Less than 30 minutes of daily moderate activity

- Less than three days per week of moderate activity

- Less than 20 minutes of vigorous activity less than three days per week

- At least 30 minutes of moderate activity at least five days per week

People in the first category are considered inactive. Those in the next three categories get an insufficient amount of exercise. The last two categories meet recommended levels of physical activity. In another WebMD story on alternative approaches to arthritis pain, one doctor suggests biking, swimming, and water aerobics to ease inflamed joints—but not jogging or other “impact loading” activities. She also recommends yoga, which at least two studies support as treatment for arthritis—for its ability to stretch and strengthen, but also for its meditative, mind-body aspects, which have been shown to ease pain of all kinds.

Photo by: W2 Beard & Shorty