As we age, our bodies become weaker, and our health worsens. This is especially true if we do not take proper care of ourselves. One of the most common complaints of aging bodies is joint pain. Joint pain can be distressing as it can limit our daily activities and profoundly impact our overall health.

Fortunately, preventative measures can be taken to protect and maintain healthy joints. Here are tips on how to keep joints healthy as you age:

1. Eat foods for joint health

Studies show that your diet plays a critical role in maintaining joint health. Eating a well-balanced diet with omega-3 fatty acids, fruits, vegetables, nuts, lean proteins, and whole grains can reduce your risk of joint pain.

Avoid fried foods, red meat, alcohol, heavily processed foods, or high in sugar, salt, and carbohydrates. Not only will you be protecting your joints and easing joint discomfort by eating healthier, but you will also be improving your overall physical and mental health.

2. Exercise joints regularly

Exercising regularly is vital to keep your joints healthy. When exercising, using your joints can prevent joint discomfort and injury as you age. Pilates, bicycling, yoga, walking, and using a treadmill or elliptical machine are examples of joint-healthy exercises.

Exercising will not only help you maintain healthy joints but will also help you maintain a healthy weight. As well as improving physical and mental health, being active also increases your happiness and helps reduce your risk of developing various other diseases.

However, it is imperative to warm up before exercise and cool down after exercise. If you skip doing this, you put your joints at a greater risk of strain and discomfort. Warming up your joints before exercising can reduce the chance of injury. Instead of starting an exercise immediately, give yourself 5 minutes to stretch your muscles and warm up your joints.

To prevent discomfort following your workout, you should also complete 5 minutes of cool-down stretches. You should also complement your joint exercises with regular chiropractor visits to maximize the results.

3. If you smoke, stop

Smoking is extremely harmful to your health and should be avoided at all costs. Smoking is associated with various diseases and illnesses. Smoking raises your risk of heart disease, lung cancer, and esophageal cancer, as well as osteoporosis and bone fractures. To improve bone and joint health, it is crucial to stop smoking. It is nearly impossible to protect and keep your joints healthy if you smoke.

Smoking doubles your risk of joint pain. It increases inflammation throughout your body, making it difficult for your body to recover from joint injuries and discomfort. Quitting smoking is one of the best decisions you can make to protect your joints and increase your overall health. Since it can be challenging to stop smoking, be sure to seek support in advance.

4. Avoid drinking alcohol

Research has revealed that alcohol use, even in moderation, can worsen and even cause joint pain. Alcohol dehydrates the body and can cause inflammatory effects. Chronic alcohol use can decrease your bone density and increase the chances of fracture.

Drinking alcohol can also disrupt your body’s calcium balance and vitamin D production, important for healthy bones. To combat joint pain and maintain joint health, avoid alcohol consumption.

5. Drink more water

Approximately 70-80% of joint cartilage is made up of water, so staying hydrated is crucial to joint health. Drinking water helps create synovial fluid, which provides nutrition to your joints and cushions them. Lack of hydration can increase joint pain, slow healing, and increase the risk of injury.

You should aim to drink eight glasses of water per day to stay hydrated and maintain joint health. Staying hydrated helps your body effectively flush toxins out and reduces inflammation. Ultimately, your joints will benefit heavily from drinking more water.

6. Get good sleep

Getting good sleep is beneficial for many reasons, including protecting and improving your joint health. A lack of quality sleep can cause achy and painful joints.

While you sleep, your body releases growth hormones that assist in repairing small tears that occur during the day. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, these repairs won’t be able to take place. Quality sleep reduces inflammation and regenerates your brain and body.

You can make your sleep a priority by developing a regular sleep schedule. Maintaining a regular sleep schedule will help you get quality rest. Do not go to bed hungry or stuffed, as this will cause joint discomfort. Avoid using electrical devices (cell phones, TVs, laptops) in your bed and turn them off/silent at least an hour before bed.

Engage in activities that will help calm you down, such as meditation or a warm bath. This will improve your sleep quality and help to keep your joints healthy.