Getting daily exercise can become challenging when it hurts to move. Despite any discomfort, a routine workout is fundamental to joint pain management – as indicated by a 2014 study on osteoarthritis patients from the American College of Rheumatology.
For the study, New Zealand-based doctors monitored osteoarthritis patients for two years. Over this timespan, they found a significant improvement among those who exercised. Researchers gauged participants’ recovery using the Western Ontario and McMaster (WOMAC) osteoarthritis index, a 240-point scale with which individuals are rated for pain, rigidity, and functionality. With regular exercise, patients saw a 31.7-point improvement in their average score over the course of the study.
5 tips to get motivated to exercise
Based on the above findings, it appears that a daily workout can be highly beneficial for those who are suffering from knee pain. Of course, understanding the importance of exercise is not the same as checking it off your list each day. How can you improve your follow-through to get active? Here are a few ideas to improve your motivation:
#1. You are closer to your goals than you think.
You want to minimize pain and regain functionality of your joints. However, a related goal for many with chronic pain is losing weight – since a lighter body is easier on the knees. When researchers had a group of women add 470 daily steps each week for 12 weeks – basically walking an additional 5 minutes per day – they reduced their waist measurements by a quarter-inch.
#2. Complete your workout early.
Set your alarm an hour earlier, suggests Michelle Lee Ribeiro of Women’s Health. “If you plan to go after work,” she says, “it's a lot easier to tell yourself you had an especially exhausting day and throw in the towel.”
#3. Track your progress on paper.
Yes, there are plenty of smartphone apps to help you exercise more. However, consider the impact of physical evidence that you can tack onto your wall or stick to your refrigerator. Write a large black or green X every day that you exercise, an immediate visual reminder that you are moving forward, not just with cardio workouts but also with your health.
#4. Diversify your routine.
An analysis from the Journal of Sports Science looked at satisfaction of exercise participants, determining that they were much happier when they alternated 50-minute runs with sets of six three-minute bursts.
#5. Understand the energy benefits.
You may think that you don’t have enough energy to exercise. In fact, participants in a University of Georgia study who performed low-intensity stationary bike workouts three times weekly felt more energetic than those who did not exercise.
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