Infinity Health

It sounds logical: if a joint is bothering you, use it as little as possible...

But with arthritis, avoiding movement altogether can actually make it harder to maintain the strength, mobility, and function that help you stay active.

Appropriately dosed movement and strengthening can help support the muscles around your joints, maintain mobility and make everyday activities easier. The key word is appropriate. More isn’t always better, and the right amount will look different for everyone.

The goal is to help you stay capable of doing the things you want your joints to do.

Not sure where to start? A physio can help you find the right type and amount of movement for you💪

Fave Friday: Farmer's Carries 💪

They're simple, practical, and remarkably similar to something you're already doing: carrying all the groceries inside in one trip because two trips are apparently unacceptable.

Loaded carries challenge your grip, shoulders, trunk and lower body while training something extremely useful: carrying weight while you move.

In the gym, grab an appropriate weight in each hand, stand tall and walk slowly with control. Start light enough that you can maintain your position comfortably.

Functional strength doesn't always need a complicated exercise. Sometimes it's just getting better at the things life already asks you to do.

Walks, swims, strength sessions, golf, dancing, playing with the kids, even a few minutes of movement between meetings.

Your joints generally benefit from regular, varied movement that keeps them doing what they’re designed to do.

You don’t need to invite them to everything all at once. Just don’t leave them sitting on the sidelines indefinitely.

Keep them on the guest list. 💪

The reality: Bodies aren't perfectly symmetrical, and neither are our lives.

One hip moves farther, one leg feels stronger, you always balance better on the same side.

Does that mean something is wrong?
Not necessarily.

We have dominant sides, play asymmetrical sports, carry things differently and develop individual movement patterns over years.

A difference becomes more interesting when it's significant, new, associated with pain or interfering with something you want to do.

The goal isn't always to make both sides identical, it's to make sure both sides can handle what you're asking of them.

It's very easy to finish a surprisingly difficult workout, stand up after a long day, or feel sore after tennis and think, "Well, I guess I'm getting old."

Age does bring changes, but it's only one part of the picture.

Sleep, strength, recent activity, recovery and how quickly you've increased what you're doing can all affect how capable your body feels on a particular day.

So before automatically blaming your birth year, look at the last few weeks. Sometimes your body isn't asking you to stop doing something because you're "too old." It just needs to be better prepared for what you're asking it to do.

Our favourite recovery tool costs $0 💤

Foam rollers, massage tools and recovery gadgets all have their place, but one of our favourite recovery tools remains decidedly low-tech.

Sleep.

Quality sleep gives your body an opportunity to recover from training and supports muscle repair, physical performance and overall wellbeing.

So yes, we'll happily talk about exercises and recovery strategies all day. But sometimes the most useful thing you can do for tomorrow's workout is go to bed.

Finally, a physio recommendation you can do lying down 😉

What if fitness wasn’t measured by how fast you run, how much you lift or how many workouts you squeeze into a week, but by how many opportunities you can take advantage of?

A round of golf, a long walk with friends, getting out on the boat, playing with your grandkids, picking up your suitcase or perhaps trying a new sport without immediately wondering if your body will regret it tomorrow.

Strength and mobility aren’t just about exercise, they give you more freedom to say "yes, I’m in” as often as you like.

And that might be one of the best reasons to keep moving 💪