Most people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about their joints, but if you consider all of the important work your joints do in just one day (or even one hour), you know exactly what they provide: that delicious freedom of movement that makes life flow. And when it comes to joint health, people normally don’t have a clue about the status of their joints … until they’re already in pain. But once your joints start to send pain signals it means that damage has already occurred.
Our joints are like the unsung heroes of the body, and like any brave hero, they don’t ask for help - until it’s critical.
The best course of action? Give your joints regular TLC, anticipating their needs BEFORE they start to complain. And the good news is that when it comes to your hard-working joints, a little love goes a long way.
It’s All Connected
To really understand the health of your joints, you need to take a deep dive, all the way down into the connective tissue. The connective tissue found in our joints is what forms cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and bones – and the health of your connective tissue is integral to the health of your joints. Your joints are also filled with a unique substance called synovial fluid. Synovial fluid helps with the cushioning effect of cartilage, and it also transports nutrition to the cartilage. One of the key ingredients that differentiates synovial fluid from other fluids in the body is a high concentration of the superstar hydrator: Hyaluronic Acid. Studies have shown that hyaluronic acid actually helps with symptoms of degenerative joint disease.
Optimal joint health relies on three things:
- using your joints gently
- moving your joints regularly
- and nourishing your joints fully with the specific ingredients they need to thrive
How to Love Your Joints, the Cliff Notes
Keep it Light - Extra Weight Means Extra Strain - One of the key ways to preserve and protect your joints is to shed any extra weight. Our joints take the brunt of any excess body weight we carry. The Arthritis Foundation notes that “every pound of excess weight exerts about 4 pounds of extra pressure on the knees. So a person who is 10 pounds overweight has 40 pounds of extra pressure on his knees”. The simple equation is that less weight means less strain on our joints, plus it’s just straight up healthier all the way round.
Move it Now So You Can Move it Later - Movement through pain is a tricky path. When our body feels stiff and sore, the first thing we want to do is nurture through rest and recovery. Studies have shown, however, that when it comes to stiff, sore joints, the very best thing we can do is MOVE. So if you struggle with that familiar deep ache, don’t follow the impulse to wrap up in a blanket and nestle into the couch: get up, get dressed, and get moving. It gets the blood flowing and increases circulation of nutrients to your joints.
Ask the Experts – Working out? Seek out a fitness pro with deep knowledge of the body - they can guide you into exercises that will strengthen the surrounding muscles, which will protect your precious joints.
Collagen – You can send your joints a care package by supplementing with collagen, which is an integral part of our connective tissue, and provides the nutrition they crave. Collagen types 1 and 3, found in grass-fed bovine collagen, play a significant structural role, where they contribute to the elasticity, strength and integrity of our joints. Collagen peptides and free amino acids delivered by hydrolyzed collagen supplementation accumulate in the cartilage of joints and have been shown to maintain joint health, reduce the risk of joint deterioration, and improve the pain associated with degenerative joint changes. Our Sproos Up Your Joints blend is a synergistic combination of 5 active ingredients (grass-fed beef collagen, glucosamine sulfate, MSM, organic turmeric and hyaluronic acid) designed to work from within to defend, soothe and regenerate tired, achy and stiff joints.
Stretch and Breathe on the Daily - When in doubt, stretch it out. More movement means more flow, and more flow means that the fluid and tissue receives the all-important nourishment that your body wants to send it.
Act Now So You Can Move Later
Almost everyone feels a twinge from their joints here and there, but if you’ve ever experienced the debilitating pain of degenerative joint disease, you quickly realize just how precious your joint health is. So whether you’re performing your signature happy dance after getting good news or lugging the groceries into the house, you rely daily on the support of your joint health, so give them a little TLC, keep moving, stay fit, take your collagen and get your hustle on!
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3512263/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004403/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18416885 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22500661
