Jumpstart Your Fitness: By having happier joints
Last week, the Jumpstart Your Fitness post was about how we all take advantage of our feet, using and abusing them and neglecting to take very good care of them until they start screaming out in pain or discomfort. Well unfortunately the same can be said for the way we treat our joints. Knees, hips, ankles ... they all do their jobs on a daily basis, usually quietly and without complaint, but also without a second thought or moment of consideration from the people to whom they belong. Men and women are quick to work on health routines for strengthening muscles and protecting skin, but what about strengthening and protecting your joints? Nothing slows (or halts altogether) a workout routine faster than knee pain, hip pain, shoulder pain, etc.So follow these guidelines for having healthier joints, starting today:
Continue reading Jumpstart Your Fitness: By having happier joints
A few years ago I took a tumble down a flight of stairs. It was my third day at a new job and I was carrying a couple of boxes, not using the handrail, walking down a flight of unfamiliar steps, and wearing high heels. Smart? Nope. Graceful? Absolutely not. Humiliating? You betcha. I unfortunately messed up my knee pretty badly. The worst of the injury healed, but I've been left with a weak knee ever since and it does limit the activities I participate in. 
Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about 
Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! 
Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about 
Do you suffer from knee problems? I do, and it's kept me from being an avid runner, despite my best attempts to just 'get over it.' But knee pain doesn't have to be a way of life; here are some ways to treat it, 
More than two-thirds of the half-million Americans who have knee replacement surgery every year are women, according to the November 1 issue of Ladies Home Journal. In the next 25 years, as baby boomers continue to age, that number is expected to increase by 673 percent. Ouch.
The terms sprain and strain sometimes seem to be used interchangeably when talking about an injury, but despite being separated by only one letter, the two are actually very different. Want to know what the difference is? Here's the answer according to the Mayo Clinic:
I was buying glucosamine tablets for my dog to cut down on arthritis inflammation. Then saw some in the drug store for people and thought I would give them a try for the pain in my joints from arthritis. I did not notice much change for either of us. Then I read an article today that glucosamine trials show little benefit against arthritis. The results of 15 trials of over the counter glucosamine vary so widely that industry bias may be a factor influencing the more positive outcomes, concludes a team writing in the July issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Quite often patients schedule visits with their doctor due to knee pain only to find out that the problem actually lies in their hips. Called 
When it comes to our joints, knees are strangely strong and weak at the same time, but they are absolutely vital to our mobility and general fitness. Without healthy knees physical activity becomes a next to impossible challenge.
Nothing will slow up your fitness progress like getting hurt. Depending on the injury, you might have to pass on your workout for just one day, or possibly for several months. Then, if you're anything like me, it's so hard to get motivated again -- it feels like you're back to starting from square one. So the best thing is to do whatever you can to avoid that horrible fitness trap altogether by paying attention to your body and 
I know from experience that the knee is one of the more vulnerable joints on the body -- especially for active people who spend lots of time running and walking. So it's important that we learn to look after our knees, and take measures to not only treat injury but to prevent it as well. 
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