Embrace Your Mobility!
Our body is a complex structure of bones and joints linked to muscles, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. Internally, the brain, heart, and various systems maintain life force. Though we strive to uphold pain-free joint movement and a wide range of motion, natural aging results in the loss of collagen, deterioration of connective tissue, and pain.
Does your chronological age match how old you feel? Do you have boundless energy, or do physical pains and aches consume you? If you feel older than your actual age, the issue might be a case of joint mobility.
What is joint mobility? Mobility is the ability to move without stress on the body, while flexibility refers to the range of motion of our muscles. These two concepts work side by side to ensure healthy aging.
Consider mobility training as part of a regular daily or weekly exercise regimen. Under guidance from trained professionals, mobility drills designed for specific areas of the body can become part of a workout warm-up, used within training as active rest, and recover from other forms of training. Joint mobility exercises are shown to help:
- Improve range of motion in joints and muscles
- Assist in posture improvement
- Alleviate everyday aches and pains
- Improve body awareness
- Boost energy
- Maintain better balance and coordination
- Improve mental health
To feel younger now, these two simple joint mobility exercises take just minutes to complete:
- Hand stretch. One hand at a time, place the palm facing outwards; stretch it as far as you can. Hold for a long second, and then contract it to form a fist. Repeat several times with each hand. Practice this exercise a few times a week.
- Shoulder circles. Stand up and slowly roll shoulders in a circular motion. Lift them toward your ears, roll shoulders towards your back, and all the way around, full circle to your starting position. Repeat several times a day.
Throughout life, our bodies endure all kinds of stressors that can cause joint pain.
It’s essential to:
- Keep moving. Incorporate regular movement to ease stiffness, reduce pain, strengthen muscles, and keep joints lubricated. Do range-of-motion exercises and, take on low impact activities like golf, swimming, and regular walking.
- Manage weight. Drop excess weight to reduce stress on the knee joints by a factor of four pounds for every pound lost.
- Eat right for joint health. Consume anti-inflammatory foods like wild salmon, extra virgin olive oil, and sweet potatoes. Add foods rich in calcium, protein, and vitamin D to help bones and absorption.
- Stop smoking. Effectively reduce osteoporosis and bone fracture risk.
- Incorporate nutritional supplements. A trio of QOL supplements supports specific joint needs since one solution does not fit all.
Nutritional supplements are widely available to support joint health. Glucosamine, chondroitin, omega-3, green tea, and vitamin D are just some of the ingredients commonly offered singly and in combination formulas.
All Quality of Life products are supported by human studies and delivered in dosages consistent with clinical research. Our studies have resulted in three solutions for common joint concerns.
One of the trio, QOL Cartiflex®, promotes joint mobility and flexibility, cushions and lubricates joints, and supports a more active daily life. This matrix contains hydrolyzed BioCell® Collagen, hyaluronic acid, and chondroitin sulfate. The combination is shown to be highly effective for strengthening bones and joints.
Collagen is a critical structural protein that, combined with hyaluronic acid, is the main component of connective tissue. Chondroitin sulfate provides structure to connective tissue, maintains space between joints, supports joint flexibility, and preserves cartilage volume. Cartiflex® is better absorbed, acts faster, and offers higher bioavailability to the body.
Aging well with pain-free joints, stronger bones, and optimal functionality is a reality when you make health a priority.