Physical Fitness & Joint Health

The future really is now, especially when talking about your physical fitness and joint health. That's because what you do today really will affect how efficiently your heart pumps, how much energy you can draw from reserves, and how smoothly your joints work. The body needs moderate physical stress to become or stay strong, especially as you age. Ideally thirty minutes a day will do – though any amount contributes to fitness and health. So remember that living a smart today is the beginning of many active tomorrows.

Your body also needs the right nutrients from a well-balanced diet. Be sure to take in plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and a moderate amount of dairy and lean protein. They contain the nutrients you need to generate energy and release it when you need it, and to keep the effects of aging from damaging heart, blood vessels, and joints.

Encourage your desire for a well-balanced diet by thinking positively about healthful foods. Really taste the robust nutrients in foods like green leafy vegetables, berries and fruits that are high in antioxidants. You'll be more likely to enjoy them and make them a part of your daily intake. It's no coincidence that most healthful foods contain water, so a smart diet will help you stay hydrated. But don't forget to drink water throughout the day. Moisture-rich material is more supple than dry, moisture-starved materials, and our bodies are no different. If you're well hydrated today, you're less likely to injure your joints tomorrow.

Yet no matter how hard we try, we're likely to still have gaps in our nutritional intake. So choosing the right dietary supplements is an easy way to ensure the body gets all the vitamins and minerals it needs to engage in vigorous physical activity and to stay healthy and fit. There are a few guidelines you should follow when using vitamins, minerals, or other supplements. Tell your doctor or other healthcare provider before you begin taking a dietary supplement – especially if you're being treated for any disease or medical condition, if you're taking other medications, if you're pregnant or nursing, or if you're planning to have an operation.

One call can give you confidence and here's why. You shouldn't take more than one supplement containing the same active ingredient because the right dosage may help, but too much may do more harm than good. Although herbal supplements come from plants, and may seem to be completely safe, they can affect your body just like pharmaceutical drugs and must be used as directed to avoid potentially harmful side effects. If you do experience an unexpected reaction to a dietary supplement, inform your doctor or other healthcare provider.

Although dietary supplements are regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, these regulations aren't the same as those covering prescription and over-the-counter medicines. It's the dietary supplement manufacturer, and NOT the FDA, that's responsible for ensuring a product is safe before it's marketed.

Energy

Whatever level of physical fitness you aspire to, the road can get pretty steep when you're feeling low on energy. You may not ever become the type who wakes up in the morning ready to bounce out of bed, but you should awake feeling refreshed and alert – as if your batteries have been recharged, and can provide you high levels of energy throughout the day. You want to be able to draw on your batteries for both the quick bursts you need during more rigorous activity – whether at work or play, and sustained energy, so you can perform optimally for longer periods.

Your prescription for boosting your energy level and jump starting your metabolism begins with releasing your stored energy. That's right – it's possible to have energy locked in your cells but not have the key to access it. If you're providing your body the nutrients it needs to free your energy reserves and you still don't feel energized, then you'll want to learn about which nutrients can feed and stoke your fire. Especially if you're in a phase of rapid growth or a menstruating woman, anemia may be a culprit. And though we mostly think of low energy as physically limiting, we may need to increase our mental alertness, as well.

Feeling as if your energy wanes more than waxes? Wondering why you feel as if you're riding one cup of coffee to the next, and that sleep does little but separate one day from the last? If you'd call your energy level chronically low, then that may be a sign that the body is deficient in certain vitamins or minerals. For example, if you're deficient in B vitamins, your body may not be able to store and release energy. These vitamins become especially important during rigorous exercise, illness, or times of stress, when B-12, folate, and other B vitamins are lost more rapidly than normal.

Every dietary supplement strategy should begin with a multivitamin. If you participate in sports or training programs and eat a limited diet or a frequent diet of highly processed foods, you might get a real boost from adding a multivitamin to your daily practice. And unless your doctor says otherwise, choose one that includes iron. Your muscles need iron to produce energy. Without enough, your sports performance could suffer. You may even become anemic from an iron deficiency.

Another fatigue-busting supplement is Co-enzyme Q10, or CoQ10. A daily dose of CoQ10 may help your muscles produce energy and recover more quickly. Panax or Asian ginseng can give you a two-for-one. Panax ginseng, which has been used in the East for thousands of years, can boost energy levels and enhance your mental alertness. These vitamins and supplements can help you feel as if time is on your side, rather than feeling as if it's pulling you along.

Joint Health

Ligaments, tendons, joints – where does one begin and another end? Let's sort this out just enough so you know why they're important and how you can protect them. Your tendons are simply soft bands that connect your bones to muscles. You may have had a rude introduction to them, maybe when you over-stretched your Achilles tendon – that's the band connecting your heel bone to your calf muscle. Your ligaments connect bone to bone. Your ACL – anterior cruciate ligament – for example, connects your upper and lower leg bones and keeps your knee joint stable. And cartilage cushions the space between bones, to keep them from rubbing on each other where they meet at joints.

Keeping joint areas flexible and supple is a key to staying mobile. Painful tendons – called tendonitis – can really dial-down your active lifestyle. And damaged ligaments stop providing joint support, causing bones to rub away the cartilage between them. The resulting condition – called osteoarthritis – can make walking or even getting out of a chair painful.

How can you keep your joints healthy and your lifestyle active? Begin with healthy choices. A well-balanced diet, plenty of water – especially when you sweat or during hot weather – and warming-up to get your blood circulating and your body heat going before exercising can protect your tendons, ligaments, and cartilage from damage.

Before you do anything that stresses the joints, warm them up. Your tendons, ligaments, and joints are less likely to tear, shear, or grind when warm. So jog before running or sprinting, swing your arms and rotate your core muscles before hitting a golf or tennis ball. Circulate your blood through your whole body or whatever area you're about use. And stay hydrated. When we're topped off with water our body is more supple; when we're parched, our body parts are vulnerable to injury.

Healthy choices also include taking the right dietary supplements that deliver key nutrients to your joints. We hear a lot about diet and health, but we may not connect the dots to include joint health. A well-balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, and lean protein can make the right nutrients available for growth and repair of tendons, ligaments, and cartilage.

Antioxidant vitamins are especially important for joint health. Antioxidants fight the free radicals that our body produces and that – left unchecked – attack and damage our cells. Antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, the mineral selenium, and beta carotene can help maintain healthy tendons and ligaments. Vitamin C, in particular, helps the body manufacture cartilage, the cushioning material that keeps joint bones from rubbing ... and hurting.

Veterinarians first began using glucosamine and chondroitin for the joint health of little – and big – furry friends. When the limp in four-legged creatures began subsiding, researchers and doctors realized the benefits for us two-legged creatures. Especially when taken together, glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM may keep cartilage and soft tissue healthy, and repair damage. Good evidence also shows these supplements can lessen arthritic and joint pain.

Make healthy choices and your joints will thank you. Actually, you won't hear a peep from them – and that's a good thing.

Cardiovascular Functioning

Staying physically fit isn't just for elite athletes. Physical fitness raises your quality of life, and gives you an unrestricted passport to participate in even the most vigorous activities – whether they're connected with travel, sports, work, or play.

At the heart of physical fitness is ... your heart, a muscle that perpetually contracts to propel gallons and gallons of blood through a vast network of blood vessels, delivering the oxygen and nutrients that keep your brain, muscles, and other tissues alive and healthy. Together, the heart, blood vessels, and blood make up the cardiovascular system. Not only does a healthy heart work tirelessly every second of the day, but it instantly adjusts its rate to your every movement and situation – pumping more blood during times of stress and less during periods of rest.

When it comes to healthy cardiovascular functioning, think of the phrase "strong and clear." Keep your heart strong so it can pump blood through miles and miles of blood vessels. And keep your arteries and veins clear so your blood can carry much-needed oxygen and nutrients to your brain, heart, muscles, and all your body's cells. Your prescription for keeping your cardiovascular system's heart, blood vessels, and blood healthy begins with controlling risk factors – such as getting physical exercise, eating a low-fat, well-balanced diet, maintaining your recommended weight, and not smoking.

When we think of stress, we usually identify the cause as anxiety or other emotional burdens. But it's just as important to deal with the effects of environmental stress, such as air pollution, second-hand smoke, and even ultraviolet rays from the sun. Environmental stress comes from outside of our bodies. Free radicals pose a risk from within. During times of stress our bodies release free radicals into the bloodstream, which can damage cells.

We've all heard about cholesterol and how it can accumulate along the walls of blood vessels and block vital blood flow. That's why it's so important to take in recommended amounts of folate and other B vitamins – such as B-6 and B-12, These nutrients help your body maintain a healthy homocysteine level. Because homocysteine can clog arteries, it has earned the sticky title of the "new cholesterol."

Antioxidants are also essential to keeping your heart beating more than 100,000 times a day, and your blood vessels flexible and resilient. Antioxidants fight the free radicals that our body produces which can attack our cells. But in fighting the good fight, antioxidants lose their health benefits and have to be replaced – constantly. Among those that need replacing are vitamins C and E, which help protect the heart, especially during stress. Another antioxidant, co-enzyme Q10, commonly called CoQ10, is found in every cell in the body. But as we age, our CoQ10 levels fall and reduce our ability to neutralize free radicals. CoQ10 also helps enzymes perform important actions, including protecting the heart muscle. And CoQ10 has the added benefit of boosting your recovery after exercise.

We don't seem to hear much about "good" fats, but omega-3 is one fat you should know the skinny about. It can keep our blood from getting too sticky, clogging our cardiovascular systems and stressing the heart. It may even boost the immune system and reduce inflammation – both of which take strain off the heart so it can continue to pump blood ... every minute of every day.