Adding even short, everyday exercise routines, even during the monsoon season, can be the difference between body and mind balance. Whether it’s a short yoga routine or dancing in the living room, activity will keep stiffness at bay, enhance flexibility, and improve overall quality of life.
It is very important to have a routine exercise during monsoons, not just for weight but also for joints and the brain. Due to less outdoor activity in monsoons, there is immense temptation to slacken. This can occur in women who have office and domestic work to attend to at home. Exercise improves blood circulation, maintains joints healthy by lubricating them, and allows hormonal balance, affecting metabolism and joint health in women of all ages.
Being inactive for an extended period puts one at risk for a complete list of potential health hazards. Sedentary lifestyles, especially when combined with poor posture and lack of exercise, can accelerate spinal degeneration. With the working class, particularly those whose jobs consist of sitting for the better part of the day, it puts them at risk of backache, poor posture, weight gain, and even early onset of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes. Among the elderly, particularly post-menopausal females, inactivity causes stiffening of muscles, reduction in muscular power, and bone loss. They also tend to be cranky and run down due to reduced release of endorphins and reduced sun exposure.
Why is joint pain or stiffness worse on rainy and damp days?
Wet weather is likely accompanied by fluctuating barometric pressure. Rain lowers pressure, and this will result in tissues in the areas of the body where swelling takes place in the joints, thus leading to stiffness and pain. It occurs more in women, particularly those with a history of joint damage in their families. Women who have arthritis experience more pain during extremely wet times of the year because of hormonal alteration that affects the synovial fluid viscosity.
According to Dr Shweta Sagar (PT), Consultant Physiotherapist, Motherhood Hospitals, Electronic City, Bengaluru, & Dr. Malla Devi Vinaya, General Physician and Diabetologist, Apollo Clinic, Kondapur, low-impact exercise also comprises gentle pilates for the development of core strength and dynamic stretches, yoga, and leisurely walks. Wall push-ups, squats, resistance band exercises, and gym ball exercises also help avoid injury through strong bones and muscles.
Arthritis patients do not necessarily have to move jerkily. They can just try to glide, movements that would not stress out the joints. Improve joint mobility with the following static, gentle stretches:
- Seated calf and hamstring stretch for greater leg flexibility.
- Smooth rolls of the shoulders and neck to relax upper body stress.
- Relaxing Tai Chi or yoga, e.g., Cat-Cow exercises, to learn how to move the spine healthfully.
- Arthritis would do well to undergo low-level regimens instead of high-level exercise and unweighted joint movement.
The monsoon is typically followed by a reduction in the physical activity level caused by inclement weather and fewer activities outdoors. It is crucial to stick to the daily routine of exercise during the monsoons, though, to stay healthy and healthy-minded. Regular exercise increases immunity levels, keeps you at a stable weight, and decreases stress issues, which is particularly relevant when you are spending more time indoors than usual.
Prolonged periods of indoor sedentary behaviour can have numerous adverse health effects. Sedentary behaviour over the long term has been found to lead to obesity and increase the risk of metabolic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Additionally, the lack of movement causes mechanical stress on the body, which can lead to the loss of muscle strength and bone density (osteoporosis). Sedentary behaviour also has the potential to lead to anxiety and depression psychologically.
Monsoons cause stiffness of joints and pain in the body. This is because decreased muscle activity and atmospheric pressure changes could affect the range of motion of joints and overall comfort.
The most effective way of overcoming this is through the incorporation of movements that improve movement and flexibility. Yoga, core exercises, dancing, and stretching in general can improve muscle function and preserve joint flexibility.
For arthritis patients, it is especially important to stay active with low-impact, safe exercises. Gentle stretching, such as rolling the neck, wrist and finger exercises, quadriceps stretches, and gentle yoga movements, may ease and improve mobility. Low-impact aerobic exercise, such as swimming and cycling, is also excellent for healthy joints without placing additional stress.