As our parents get older, it will eventually become more difficult for them to move around and enjoy life as they once did.
If they have diseases like diabetes and arthritis (which sadly, sometimes go hand in hand), their mobility is definitely going to be more limited than it ever has been before.
That being said, what can you do to try and get diabetes and/or arthritis under control in a healthy way, without exercise? Are there any other methods that you can use to help relief them? That’s what we’re going to answer in this article.
Managing Arthritis Without Exercise
Arthritis can sometimes make it so we don’t even want to move around – it is incredibly painful, and as the joints lock up more, it is just going to become more difficult for you or your loved one to move around.
There are ways that you can relieve the pain without exercise, however. Here are a few of the most common methods that those suffering with arthritis will try.
Changing your diet
Your diet can play a significant role in whether or not your arthritis is under control. If you are overweight, you’re going to feel more strain on your body and your joints are going to be more difficult to move.
So by watching what you eat and dropping weight, you can relieve some of the stress and strain. Also, make sure that your diet does not have a lot of sugar or fat in it, as those things can make it harder for you to control the pain.
Stress Management
When you’ve got a chronic disease like arthritis, you can sometimes feel an excess of stress or feel as if you can’t keep everything under control in your life. That being said, it’s important that you try to reduce your stress as much as possible.
Stress is horrible for your body and it can make it even more difficult to move and enjoy life. Learn to relax, get enough sleep in a night, manage your relationships well, and make sure that you can talk out your feelings with someone you trust.
Lifestyle changes
Sometimes, in order to reduce pain, we have to make a couple adjustments to the way that we are doing things. If you have to push a door open, use your shoulder instead. Hold items loosely, don’t grip too hard.
Slide instead of lifting when you can, and make sure to get up and move around if you’re used to sitting most of the time. All of these will help loosen your joints and relieve the pain you may feel.
Keep Up to Date on Research
There are tons of organizations out there that can help you stay “in the know” when it comes to arthritis treatment. By being involved with them and staying in touch with your specialist on a regular basis, you can stay informed and understand possible changes in your treatment.
Managing Diabetes Without Exercise
Diabetes, on the other hand, is a totally different animal. Like arthritis, it can be treated with exercise, but sometimes the struggles related to the disease make it hard for a person to really be able to get out there and do what they need to do.
One of the main reasons is because there is often nerve damage can play a significant role in what is going on in your body, making it uncomfortable and even painful for you to move around and do things.
What can you do to control your diabetes without exercise? Here are some ideas that professionals suggest regularly.
Stop bad habits
If you’re a smoker or you drink a lot, quit. One drink once in awhile isn’t a big deal, but if you drink all of the time, the extra alcohol can make your sugar go nuts. Smoking, of course, is bad in every case, so quitting is always an important and necessary option when dealing with your treatment of any disease, including diabetes.
Watch your feet!
Even if you aren’t moving around a lot, you could have a lot of issues with your feet. Many diabetics will end up having nerve damage there, and if you don’t keep an eye on them, you could end up with some severe issues.
Soak them to relax them, clean them regularly, and make sure there isn’t anything odd about them (cracks, skin wearing away, ulcers, drainage, or swelling). If there does seem to be something going on, talk to a doctor immediately.
Reduce stress and manage your diet
We mentioned these two things in the section on arthritis, but they are also absolutely vital for diabetics as well. You want to make sure that you’re on a low fat, low sodium, low sugar diet and you want to be sure that you aren’t feeling stressed out all of the time.
Stress hormones can actually make it so that your sugars are out of control, and as a result it can make your sugars off balance as well.
Always do your research
As we mentioned above, research can be key in making sure that you’re up to date on everything going on in the world of medicine, and you can often find a ton of information that is related to whatever disorder that you are dealing with.
Talking with your specialist, reading news on the internet (from trusted sources of course) and being involved in organizations for your disorder can help keep you up to date.
So, as you can see, there are always alternatives to exercise. Now, of course, if you or your loved one is able to move around and exercise, that is always an amazing option, but we all know that there will be days, even weeks where that feels impossible.
In those cases, you will want to follow the suggestions that we’ve talked about here and that you’ve discussed with your specialist in order to make sure that everything stays under control, even when you’re down for the count with movement and exercise.