For years doctors have been spreading the message on the risks of heart disease and how to protect our hearts and blood vessels. But little gets said about our protecting our joints from the debilitating condition called arthritis that impairs the quality of life as we age by a far greater extent. Arthritis is a general term for more than 100 conditions that affect the joint - where bone meets bone such as the elbow or knee.

Health officials predict an epidemic of arthritis looming as the baby boomer generation ages. Although arthritis can ruin the last 10 - 20 years of a persons life, it can start silently at a young age, 30's 20's or younger but it in not until you reach your 40's or 50's that joints start to make themselves known.

Arthritis involves deterioration of joint cartilage, the rubbery tissue at the ends of bones that allows for smooth movement and shock absorption. When cartilage erodes away, the result is pain, stiffness, loss of motion, and in many cases even disability and dependence on others. Every move you make hinges on healthy joints but when you are inactive you are starving the cartilage in your joints. You need to continually move your joints through a full range of motion so nutrients can be absorbed and waste can be removed.

Researchers speculate that it is not overuse that contributes to arthritis but rather "lack of use". A sedentary or inactive lifestyle gradually reduces joint range of motion. As the condition progresses debilitating pain leads to an even more sedentary lifestyle. People with this condition are often at an increased risk of developing other significant health problems, such as heart disease or diabetes

Because arthritis is a chronic degenerative disease, people with this condition can become depressed, anxious and develop a poor self-image. Arthritis can also negatively affect posture, balance and coordination and painful joints can make getting a good night's sleep difficult, if not impossible. A proper exercise program can help manage all of these problems and help to manage stress, which can take its toll on the whole body, including the joints.

For persons afflicted with arthritis, strength training exercise is especially beneficial because it keeps the bones, muscles and joints healthy. Without strength building exercise, the muscles become smaller and weaker and are unable to support the joint properly leading to excessive wear on the cartilage.

The stronger the muscles, tendons and ligaments around the joints, the better they will be able to support and protect those joints, even those that are weak and already damaged from arthritis. Stronger muscles around the joint keep it as flexible as possible stabilizing and cushioning it against trauma and fight the muscle-wasting impact of the disease.

Strength training exercise also positively affects bone mass, helping to reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis, a degenerative bone disease that is often seen in people with arthritis due to their reduced levels of physical activity.

It has long been recognized that exercise can reduce pain, improve physical function, improve muscle strength, and improve quality of life for people with arthritis. Even so, people with arthritis have a much lower rate of participation in vigorous regular exercise than people without arthritis.

It is important to see your health problems as a reason for exercise rather than as a barrier to exercise and get started as soon as possible on your exercise program so that you may enjoy the many activities that our modern world has to offer.