| How to Exercise with Arthritis in Your Feet Posted: 21 Nov 2021 12:00 AM PST Arthritis in your feet can lead to soreness, aching, and pain. Exercising the muscles around your feet is a great way to strengthen the joints and relieve some of your discomfort.[1] Starting an exercise program with arthritis can seem overwhelming, so it's important to go slowly and ease into your new routine. In this article, we've compiled some tips to help relieve discomfort and pain as well as a few feet and ankle exercises you can do every week. [Edit]Try low-impact activities. - Biking and swimming won't put a ton of pressure on your feet. When you're picking what kind of exercises you want to do, stay away from any high impact activities, like running or jumping.[2] Go for lower impact ones, like swimming or cycling, so you don't stress out your feet and ankles.[3]
- You can also modify any of your exercises to fit your specific needs. For instance, if you're doing yoga, you can tell the instructor that you have arthritis in your feet, so you may need to rest or sit down in between poses.
[Edit]Apply heat to your feet before you start. - A warm towel or shower can relax your joints and muscles. As you gear up to start exercising, apply a warm washcloth or stand in a warm shower and let the water run over your feet. Try to do this for about 20 minutes to soothe your joints and prepare them for some exercises. Make sure the heat treatment you pick is warm, not scalding hot, to avoid any injuries.[4]
- When you warm up your joints, you open up the blood vessels to allow more blood flow to the area. This brings in oxygen and nutrients to the tissue surrounding your feet, which can make them feel better and less irritated.
[Edit]Warm up gently before exercising. - Try a few range-of-motion exercises for 5 to 10 minutes first. If you jump straight into exercising, your muscles might not be ready, and you could injure yourself.[5] You can warm up by rolling your ankles, stretching your toes, or using a resistance band on your feet.
- It's always a good idea to warm up before exercising, even if you're not doing anything with your feet.
[Edit]Start with 20 minutes of exercise at a time. - Experts recommend starting with 20 minutes of exercise 3 times per week. Easing yourself into an exercise program sets you up for success, and you're much more likely to stick with it long-term. Plus, going for 20 minutes at a time will help you learn your limits, and you can rest your feet and ankles if you need to.[6]
- If you're new to exercising with arthritis, you may want to work with a physical therapist at first. They can tell you how to do the right exercises for your body without injuring yourself.
[Edit]Do a seated foot and heel raise. - This exercise gently rotates your ankles and strengthens your feet. Sit down in a chair and place your feet flat on the ground. Keep your toes on the ground and gently lift your heels off the floor, then hold the pose for 2 seconds. Return your heels to the ground, then lift your toes off the floor and hold for 2 seconds. This counts as 1 repetition.[7]
- Start by doing 5 reps of this exercise per day. As you get stronger, you can add 1 to 2 reps each time you try it.[8]
- Doing exercises to strengthen your feet and ankles will help reduce pain and inflammation, which will make other kinds of exercise easier.
[Edit]Stretch your feet with a toe bend. - Strengthen and stretch the arches of your feet with this exercise. Sit down in a chair and place your feet flat. With your toes straight out in front of you, curl your toes underneath your foot so they're pointing downward, then hold this pose for 2 seconds. Place your feet flat on the ground again, then bend your toes upward toward the ceiling. Hold that for 2 seconds, then place your feet flat on the ground again.[9]
- You can do this exercise up to 5 times.
[Edit]Do the ankle alphabet. - Rotate your ankles to strengthen and stretch them. Sit in a chair with your feet flat, or lie on your back with your feet propped on a pillow. Lift one foot off the floor, then gently go through each letter of the alphabet, tracing it in the air with your toes. When you're done, switch feet and repeat on the other side.[10]
- This exercise can be tough on your ankles, so stop if you feel any sudden pain. However, a slight soreness in your ankle is normal.
[Edit]Strengthen your ankles with a standing heel raise. - Strengthening your ankles will help support your arthritic feet. To do this exercise, stand behind a chair and grab the back with both hands for support. Raise yourself up to stand tall on your tip-toes, then hold the position for 5 seconds. Then, relax so you're standing flat on the ground again.[11]
- Repeat this exercise 5 to 10 times.
[Edit]Ice your feet after exercising. - A cold compress can help reduce swelling and inflammation. When you're done exercising, sit down with an ice pack or a bag of ice cubes wrapped in a towel. Hold it against your feet and ankles for up to 20 minutes to soothe your aching joints.[12]
- Always wrap a towel around any cold compress you use. Bare ice is a little too cold to hold against your skin, and it can cause injury.
[Edit]Take an anti-inflammatory to reduce irritation. - If you feel pain or irritation after exercising, OTC medicine can help. Head to a pharmacy and pick up a bottle of ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve). Follow the dosage instructions on the bottle to relieve inflammation and help alleviate pain.[13]
- Don't take these medications if you are on blood thinners, have high blood pressure, have kidney problems, or if you have a history of stomach ulcers.
[Edit]Try an over the counter cream to soothe your pain. - Use capsaicin cream, Aspercream with lidocaine, or diclofenac gel. You can find these creams and gels at most pharmacies and drug stores. Use these on your feet and your ankles to soothe your aching joints and reduce irritation after exercising.[14]
- Creams and gels are a great option if you want to avoid taking oral medication.
- If you have any questions or concerns about your arthritis, check in with your doctor.[15]
- Decreasing your stress levels can really help reduce discomfort caused by arthritis.[16]
[Edit]References |
| How to Preserve Flowers with Hairspray Posted: 20 Nov 2021 04:00 PM PST Using hairspray is an effective and easy way to preserve flowers. Select fresh, blooming flowers, and tie them to a hanger so they can dry. Leave them in a well-ventilated, dark room for 2-3 weeks. When the flowers are completely dry, spray 3 even layers of aerosol hairspray over all of the flowers. Then, create an attractive, timeless floral display. [Edit]Choosing Your Flowers - Cut blooming flowers in your garden during the summer. Choose flowers in full bloom so you can preserve the rich color of the petals or blossoms. For best results, pick your flowers in the morning, and move the fresh-cut flowers from the sunlight as quickly as possible.[1]
- In particular, hairspray works well with flowers with robust blooms such as roses. It also works great with flowers with smaller blooms like lavender.
- You can also use flowers that bloom in the winter, such as Hellebore, Winter Jasmine, and Algerian Iris.
- Select healthy flowers that are free of insects and disease. Avoid choosing flowers with brown spots or uneven sections. These flowers are less-than-ideal, and they won't look as nice once they are dried and preserved. Instead, choose flowers will full blooms rather than budding blossoms.
- These flowers will likely turn brown and rot rather than staying true to their colors after preservation.
- Exposure to sunlight can cause the flowers to turn brown or start to wilt.
- Use flowers from a sentimental bouquet to preserve your memories. If you aren't using flowers from your garden, you can also use cut flowers from your favorite bouquet. This is a good idea if you want to keep your Valentine's Day or Graduation flowers for long-term display.
- Cut the stem so it is at least and remove extra foliage. Using pruning shears, make a cut at a 45-degree angle along the main stem of your flower. Then, use your fingers to pick off some of the extra leaves and greenery. You can leave 2-4 leaves to add some color to your bouquet.[2]
- If you cut your flower stem less than long, it may be too small to display in a vase.
- You can use 1 single flower or many flowers, based on your desired look.
[Edit]Drying Your Flowers - Tie a piece of dental floss to the ends of each flower or bouquet. Cut a piece of dental floss about long. Secure the piece of dental floss to the stem of an individual flower. Additionally, you can wrap a rubber band around a small bouquet of 3-6 flowers, and then tie the dental floss to the ends of the bouquet.[3]
- If you don't have dental floss, you can use twine instead.
- Make 2-3 knots so the floss stays in place.
- Hang up your flowers by tying the dental floss to a hanger. Once your floss is tied around your flower or bouquet, tie the other end around the bottom, vertical bar of the hanger. Tie 2-3 basic knots so the dental floss stays put. Hang each of your flowers along the bottom of the same hanger until you run out of space.[4]
- For instance, secure 3 bouquets of 4 flowers to the bottom of 1 hanger.
- Hang your flowers on a door hook in your basement for 2-3 weeks. Put the hanger on a hook hanging from your door so they can dry completely. You can store your flowers in any clean, dry, well-ventilated space that gets particularly dark. If your flowers are exposed to sunlight, they will not dry entirely.
- Remove the dried flowers when they feel hard and crispy. After several weeks, your flowers will dry up completely, which is necessary when preserving with hairspray. They will lose pigment and shrink up a little once they're dry. The petals will be crispy and break off easily, so handle them carefully![5]
[Edit]Applying the Hairspray - Use a can of any ordinary aerosol hairspray. Any type of hairspray will work fine to preserve your flowers. It is helpful to shake up your hairspray for 20 seconds or so before you use it.[6]
- You can use a cheap can found at your local drug store, for instance.
- Spray an even coat of hairspray over the entirety of your flowers. Hold the hanger upwards in 1 hand and spray the hairspray with your dominant hand. Position the can about away from the flowers, and press down on the spray nozzle. Slowly move the can around the entirety of your flowers. Cover the blossoms, leaves, and stem.[7]
- You can also place a piece of newspaper behind your flowers and let the hanger stay on the hook as you spray them.
- Let the flowers dry upside down for about 10 minutes. After you apply your a coat of hairspray, set the hanger back onto a door hook. Set a timer for about 10 minutes, and then you can apply the next coat. You want each coat to completely dry in order to properly preserve the flowers.[8]
- To check if the flowers are dry, touch 1 of your fingertips to the end of the stem.
- Apply another 2 even coats of hairspray to cover your flowers. One coat of hairspray is likely not enough to fully preserve the flowers. After the first coat dries, spray another complete, even layer across the blossoms, leaves, and stems. Then, let each coat dry for 10 minutes.
- Display your preserved flowers in a decorative vase. You can use your preserved flowers to make a decorative display. Cut the flowers off of the hanger, and remove the dental floss from the ends. Put a bouquet of preserved flowers into a decorative vase, and place the vase on a tabletop to make an attractive centerpiece.[9]
- You can do this to make seasonal decorations, for instance.
- Tie a ribbon to the outside of the vase for extra embellishment. You can secure the ribbon by using a small dab of hot glue.
- Touch up your flowers once every 3-7 days to keep them preserved. About 1-2 times a week, you can spray another 1-2 coat on your flowers to keep them hard and intact. Do this if the flower buds start to look droopy or if you notice any petals start to fall off. Continue doing this as needed to preserve your flowers long-term.[10]
- If applying multiple coats, wait about 10 minutes in between each one.
- You can take out the flowers and lay them on newspaper, then spray a light even layer on each side. In addition, you can spray a light layer over the blooms and stems while the flowers are still in the vase.
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Fresh flowers
- Pruning shears
- Hanger(s)
- Dental floss
- Rubber bands (optional)
- Dark, warm, well-ventilated area
- Aerosol hairspray
- Vase
- To create an interesting bouquet, use several different flowers in a variety of colors. This adds texture and color to your preserved flower display.
- You can preserve single flowers or a full display. Consider preserving your wedding bouquet with this method, for example.
[Edit]Warnings - Once your flowers are preserved, keep them out of sunny spots. The sunlight can eat away at the hairspray and cause the flowers to wilt.
[Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
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