When your hormones start declining, joint pain (arthralgia) and early onset arthritis are not uncommon. At 48, I was diagnosed with both, and suffered pretty bad pain at even the slightest activity (like opening and closing my hands!) But that doesn’t mean you’re stuck with the pain for the rest of your life. Here’s what I did:
👉 I dialed in my nutrition. I believe food is medicine, and everything you eat is either healing you, or making you sick. Accordingly, food is a powerful weapon in reversing early onset arthritis and joint pain. I cleaned out the crap in my pantry and focused on eating real food: complex carbs, grassfed protein and fresh veggies.
👉 I cut out seed oils (canola, sunflower etc.). Seed oils are literally in everything - chips, crackers, mayo, cookies, cereals, breads - even in almond milk - and they didn't even exist 100 years ago! They are highly toxic to your body, so get rid of them and stick to grassfed butter, olive oil and coconut oil.
👉 I invested in a red light sauna to detox my body and get rid of my joint pain. it’s been two years now, and I use my sauna almost every day. It’s been a staggeringly worthwhile investment in my health, pain reduction and longevity. I know it's an investment, and not an insignificant one. But for me, aging well is a priority, so this was an investment I was willing to make.
👉 I cut down on alcohol. I had to decide whether drinking 1-2 drinks / night was worth me not being able to move my body and open & close my hands without pain. I made the right decision for me. I still drink, but it’s occasional - on the order of 1 drink / week. This has significantly reduced the inflammation and pain in my body.
👉 I started mobility work and weight lifting. After decades of being the cardio queen (marathon runner 🙋🏻♀️) I realized that all that repetitive motion and pounding wasn’t doing my joints any favors. Both of these have been instrumental in building up my muscle mass and increasing my range of motion in my joint areas, thereby reducing pain.
👉 this past year, I got on HRT. Being able to give my body back bio-identical hormones has really helped with the inflammation and joint pain, and while HRT may not be for everyone, I believe every woman at least deserves the conversation with her (informed!) doctor.
There is no quick-fix solution for arthritis, it requires a lifestyle shift and these are the steps that worked for me. I can't promise you a 100% fix, but I know that with these lifestyle changes you are going to feel better and may even eliminate your pain altogether, like I did.
Is it hard? Of course it is. But your future self is waiting for you, and thanking you for taking action. 💚✨
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