Anti-Inflammation Guide: Reduce Joint Pain with These Easy Steps
Is Inflammation holding you back?
When you think of inflammation, you may think of things like arthritis and sore joints. Did you know that inflammation isn’t always a bad thing? Inflammation is like a fire alarm going off in our body in response to a negative force such as a cold or an injury. It alerts our immune system to fix the problem.
The pain you feel is your body protecting itself so you’re gentler to that area. For example, if you catch a cold, your body will work hard to fight it off by sending the proper signals to our body, such as sending white blood cells over to clear out the infection. This is our amazing body at work. This type of inflammation is considered acute.
On the other hand, inflammation becomes a problem when the inflammation sticks around longer than it should. This is when we start seeing more chronic problems such as weight gain, joint pain, difficulty focusing, and fatigue. Chronic inflammation can be caused by autoimmune diseases as well as our lifestyle choices.
When we live sedentary lifestyles and lack a nutritional eating pattern, our bodies struggle to function properly. In other words, sitting at a desk all day or repetitive movement and eating junk food can increase inflammation.
How I understand it, our bodies need vitamins and minerals provided by nutrient-dense foods. Our muscles, bones, and organs need to stay strong to function well. Breathing, walking, digesting food, climbing stairs, carrying things, getting in and out of a chair…these things all take some level of mobility and strength.
If we are consuming things that aren’t high in those nutrients or that are highly processed, it will be harder for our bodies to fight infections and inflammation. If you don’t challenge your bones and muscles by being active, they won’t be able to be strong enough to work correctly.
So, what can you do about it?
As I mentioned, some inflammation is important, and some is caused by autoimmune diseases. But, for the inflammation caused by your lifestyle, there are some steps you can take to prevent chronic inflammation. If you live a sedentary lifestyle, you may be putting yourself at risk for high inflammation.
Additionally, if you eat a lot of highly processed foods (think about foods that are packaged and have more than one ingredient, especially ingredients that you can’t pronounce), you are likely putting yourself at a higher risk for chronic inflammation. These foods are often quick and easy.
Physical activity:
Not everyone enjoys going to the gym and working out – and that is okay! Being physically active doesn’t mean you have to work out at the gym for hours on end every single day. Hell, overtraining can cause inflammation, too.
My goal when working with clients is helping them find activities that they enjoy. Finding physical activities that you enjoy is the key to staying consistent! Think about it – if you absolutely hate running but you’ve been told that running 5 miles a week is the only way you’d lose weight, would you do it?
Maybe…for a week or two. Long term? Long enough to lose your goal weight and keep it off? Probably not because just the idea of lacing up your shoes is miserable.
Finding activities you enjoy, rather, will give you something to look forward to and stick with more easily. Will you want to do it every single time? Probably not. But, you have a better chance of sticking to it when you’re enjoying it.
How do you find the things you enjoy? I would encourage you to do some brainstorming. Take some time and research workout programs, classes, sports, and ways to be active. Do any of them sound appealing to you? Are there any sports that you used to play that you miss? Do you enjoy walking? Dancing?
Next, consider ways to enhance your experience.
· Do you listen to a book? Podcast? Playlist?
· Do you do it alone or with others?
· Do you have to go somewhere, or can you do it from home?
· Do you need special equipment?
· Do you need a coach or trainer?
This may take some trial and error. You may find that some days you LOVE to join the Zumba class at your local gym. You may be having a hard week and the simple thought of being around other people is cringe-worthy.
Here are some class ideas that may inspire you:
· Dance class (salsa, Zumba, hip hop, ballroom, swing, etc.)
· Virtual classes on an app or YouTube
· Mobility classes
· Yoga
· Pound
· Spin
· Boot camp
· HIIT
· Tabata
· CrossFit
· Orange Theory
· Brazilian Jujitsu
· Tai Chi
· Silver Sneakers
· Muay Thai
· Martial Arts
· Aqua Classes
· Weightlifting
Here are some non-class related ideas that you might enjoy solo or with a group/others:
· Walking around the neighborhood, mall, track, zoo
· Hiking in the woods
· Biking
· Joining a walking or hiking group
· Running/jogging
· Obstacle Courses
· Swimming
· Rowing
· Sports (Did you know many cities have adult coed leagues?)
Basketball
Softball
Volleyball
Tennis
Pickleball
Racquetball
Soccer
Hand ball
Disc golf
Ultimate Frisbee
And so much more!
Take some time to discover something new or reexplore something you used to enjoy. A good guide to be physically active for about 30 minutes a day.
The amount of activity you do and level of intensity you should do is dependent on a lot of factors. I’ll be sharing more information on that soon!
Okay, so what about nutrition?
I like to think of adding more rather than cutting out. The more of the good you add to your day, the easier it will be to get the nutrients your body craves to function well. There are some key nutrients you should focus on when reducing inflammation and living a healthy lifestyle.
Examples of anti-inflammatory foods are berries, leafy greens, nuts, fatty fish, olive oil, whole grains, legumes, and green tea. Staying hydrated and well rested are also helpful!
On the other hand, you want to try to consume less of sugar, processed foods, trans fats, alcohol, red meat, high-fat dairy, artificial additives, refined carbs, and high fructose corn syrup. Do you have to eliminate these completely? Not necessarily.
I’ve found that when I start eating a bunch of junk, my body craves healthy food. It’s such a funny feeling. Understanding a nutrition label can be quite confusing. Check out my Nutrition Label Guide for more support!
When it comes to nutrition, it can be hard to keep things balanced, especially when life gets chaotic and messy. I work with people just like you to face these obstacles head-on. We discovery strategies for success together.
Some people find success in meal prepping, or even simpler, meal planning. Some people find success in food tracking/journaling. Diets and pills helps some people. Another strategy to approach nutrition is intuitive eating.
As you can see, there are a lot of methods to explore around nutrition…no wonder it’s so complicated! I am not a fan of diets, per say. Diets often come with restrictions and rapid weight loss which is not sustainable (and can cause loose skin).
Sometimes, we need something as simple as a Nutrition Audit to help you get a second set of eyes on your nutrition. What is a nutrition audit?
My Nutrition Audit takes you through a week of tracking your food and drinks with photos and a quick description. I then provide personal feedback and 2-3 actionable steps to help you on your journey.
What can a day with anti-inflammatory foods look like? Here’s a delicious example:
Breakfast: Eggs + veggies on whole grain toast with blueberries on the side (I like spinach, onions, and bell peppers)
Lunch: Turkey burger on a lettuce leaf topped with mustard, pickles, and ketchup (check ingredients!) with home made air frier sweet potato fries and mixed berries on the side
Dinner: Grilled chicken (hello grill season!), green beans, brown rice, and a slice of grilled pineapple
Snacks: almonds with an apple, raw carrots and cauliflower drizzled in almond butter (check the ingredients!)
These meals are packed with flavor, nutrients, and anti-inflammatory properties. With the sweetness and fiber of the fruits, as well as the protein in each meal, I feel satisfied and not bloated. Feel free to add seasonings of your choice!
I love Mrs. Dash seasonings, especially tomato basil garlic seasoning.
It goes well on sweet potatoes, veggies, chicken…SO MANY THINGS!
Key takeaways to fight inflammation:
Adjusting a few things in our eating patterns and making sure we are getting some level of activity each day can be great ways to reduce inflammation in our bodies. Reduced inflammation can help with weight loss, better sleep, improved concentration, reduced stress, less joint pain, quicker recovery, and more.
You may find it easier to get up and down off of the floor. You may enjoy walking for more than 10 minutes without getting sore or exhausted. Climbing the stairs may be less challenging. Playing sports like pickleball is fun again because you can move around with less pain. The list goes on and on…
Reducing inflammation by adjusting our lifestyle isn’t exactly easy. That’s where my concept of The AYM (aim) Method comes in place. It stands for Adjust Your Mindset.
The AYM Method is geared towards learning how to reduce inflammation by adjusting your daily habits and eating patterns. When you join the AYM Method, we work together to reach your goals, gain confidence, reduce inflammation, and improve your quality of life.
Ways that we can adjust our mindset have been sprinkled in here and there throughout this article: find ways to be active that you enjoy and by adding more of the good vs taking away and restricting ourselves.
I like to also think of “how will this make me feel later?” Will eating this cake upset my stomach? Will skipping my class make me stiff? Will eating this plate of greens and fresh fruit make me feel satisfied and not bloated?
It can be overwhelming. Take things one step at a time. Work with your body instead of against it. Trust me, your body will thank you! If you need extra support, be sure to reach out. Sometimes, it just takes talking it out with another person who understands what you’re going through. Schedule a call with me to learn more!
How the body responds to different types of triggers.
