kulbir kalsi,
INVC,
CHANDIGARH,
“Losing weight was challenging for many people, but it was even more daunting if you were living with painful knee arthritis. Losing just one kilogram of weight could reduce the pressure on your knee joints by four kilogram. This 4-fold reduction in the load exerted on the knee per step during daily activities when accumulated over thousands of steps per day means less pain.” Dr Harinder Batth, a city based senior Orthopedic Consultant said that there were two ways to lose weight- eat a healthy diet and exercise. Daily exercise could take the form of many types of physical activity. Talking about the tips that would allow one to get the most out of exercise program, Dr Bath said that more muscle tissue means one would burn more calories. Muscle was more dense than fat, and because it could be worked, it used energy while fat didn’t. Even at rest, muscles burn more calories than fat. The best way to build muscle was to go for strength-training exercises using dumbbells, weight machines or resistance bands. The local strengthening of muscles around knee would further protect the knee during any kind of overload, Dr Batth pointed out. Taking on which type of exercise should one do first from cardio or strength training, Dr. Batth informed that if one would do strength-training first, his or her muscles would be fatigued from lifting weights, then they won’t be able to do as much cardio work, which mean burning fewer calories. If walking was painful, a simple walking with stick would offload the knee and allow some more walk without pain. Alternatively use stationary cycle to burn those extra calories, he remarked. For years, experts have been recommending 30 minutes of activity on five or more days per week. But to lose weight, more activities were needed, say around 60 to 90 minutes per day, asserted Dr Batth. The 60 to 90 minutes could be a combination, say 30 minutes of walking, 20 minutes of strength training, 10 minutes of stretching and 30 minutes of household chores, maintained Dr. Batth. Without a doubt, exercise and weight loss would go hand in hand. Be punctual in your daily schedule and company with like minded people with common goals were most helpful, he said. Talking on eating, Dr Batth said that let’s keep it simple. Cut on sugars and oil. A Dietician would probably give a long chart of what to and what not to eat. If you could follow it religiously, it’s fine. Simply avoid all sugars and oils and focus on omega rich foods like fish, walnuts, flaxseed etc. They have been shown to reduce pain and joint stiffness. Although weight loss could seem like an impossible task when you have sore knee joints, but making a few small changes in your diet and exercise routine could provide big relief. The sooner you get started, the sooner you would get to your target weight, opined Dr Batth.
