On my recent surf and yoga trip to Cornwall, I seemed to have picked myself up an injury. Well, actually, I think it’s an injury I got last year that has returned. I also think it’s a mix of bad luck and old age lol. Anyway, my poor ring finger on my left hand has now been sore for a few weeks and I’m not too sure what is wrong. It partly feels like a joint issue and it partly feels like a ligament / tendon issue. Either way, it would do no harm to try out the Litholexal Joint Health Advanced supplement… although I fear prevention might be better than cure?!
Quick Tips For Avoiding Joint Discomfort
I do a lot of social listening especially when it comes to cycling and one of the most talked about issues on the bike for the ladies is comfort. Wrist, discomfort, neck discomfort, shoulder, hip… the list goes on. But the one thing they have in common is that all those areas contain joints which we can look after to reduce, if not eliminate, joint discomfort. Here are some quick things to take into consideration:
Up Your Distances Gradually
The worst thing you can do when you start training, be it running, cycling, or anything else is to do too much too soon. For cycling and running make sure you up your mileage gradually… in the running world, they used to say a maximum of 10% increase each week. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to recover between your sessions too.
Warming Up Has It’s Place
Warming up isn’t just for cold weather either. The point of warming up is to get your body ready for exercise and part of that includes lubrication of your joints. Check out my dynamic exercises which you can do before a ride or a run to help you avoid joint discomfort. As I also shared with someone recently, they can be done mid ride at a coffee shop too… dunno ’bout you but they would prob help me back onto the bike after being seated (and eating) for too long!
Check Your Form
If you’re a cyclist then it could be worth saving up your pennies to have a bike fit. I remember before I rode to Paris, I had a few tweaks done in a bike shop and just that helped massively. If you’re a runner, you can pretty much do the same thing. There are facilities such as The Running School that can help you work on your form, and your strength to make you a better runner. If you’re an avid gym user or class goer, you’re not exempt! Always try fo focus on your form when doing any exercise. This will help to look after your joints and keep you injury free.
Yes, Yes, You Should Be Cross-Training
I know so many people who find their discipline and want to do nothing but that. Fair enough, but just know that the benefits of doing something else are exponential. Take running, a repetitive forward motion… which your body will get very strong over time. But you make one wrong move out of position and your muscles, bones, joints, and mind will have no idea how to cope. Strength training is particular good to strengthen your muscles which will in turn protect your joints as well as make you stronger in whatever sport you decide to dedicate your spare time to. If you don’t fancy lifting weights, consider Pilates or Yoga.
What Else Could Be Affecting Your Joints?
It’s good practice to remember that there are a number of factors which could affect your joint health and strength. Litholexal shared a few on their website which include ageing, weak bones, physical labour, weather, hormones, stress, medication, injuries, diet, alcohol, smoking, weight. Makes sense when you think about it, right? Some of these things are within our control while some are not…
Supplement with LithoLexal Joint Health ADVANCED
As much as we are all advised to get as many of our nutrients from our diets as we possibly can, but despite this, evidence has always shown me that supplementation benefits me massively. So my joint care is something I’m willing to invest in especially as I creep up to mid-thirties and beyond!
The first thing that stood out for me with Litholexal Joint Health was that it’s innovative and naturally derived – including a unique marine plant extract (1,875 mg of the proprietary marine plant-derived extract LithoLexal®, and 10 mg Vercilexal® – cartilage-specific proteoglycans derived from fish). Apparently it’s made from a unique and highly bioavailable Marine Plant Extract which is more easily absorbed by our bodies. This supplement helps to maintain the function of our cartilage which protects adjacent bones… in cases where your cartilage has deteriorated this can (for example) cause severe pain or loss of flexibility in the joint due to bone surfaces coming into contact with each other. Ouch.
LithoLexal Joint Health ADVANCED also contains some other useful ingredients including Vitamin C and Manganese which all together is scientifically formulated to support the natural collagen formation and the development of cartilage – the flexible connective tissue important for the normal function of healthy joints.
As with the majority of supplements, I can’t sit here and tell you that taking this has changed my life dramatically. I have been taking them for a few weeks now (1 tablet in the morning and one in the evening) and I will continue to do so for at least another month and a half. But will I continue after that? Well, I think I might. I’m just getting myself back into a fitness routine which will see me up my mileage on the bike and hopefully get back into running a little more. With running especially, joints are taking a lot of impact so I would like to do as much as I can to help them stay stronger a little longer. I think joint (and bone) health are important for women, especially those of us who like to be active. And if you do, please tell me you have read Roar by Stacy Sims?!
Have you ever thought about what you can do to look after your joints?!
Elle
Litholexal RRP’s for £29.95, at the time of writing this post, you can get one months supply for £14.97 – which is half price – from Holland and Barrett. Also available on Amazon.co.uk
This supplement definitely has some good ingredients in it and I’ve tried it myself as well to see whether it can do anything for my creaky knees. Like you say, in the beginning, it doesn’t feel like it’s doing much but once I finished the bottle I felt it helped a little bit. I think it would take some time to see some real improvement.
I defo think it takes more than a supplement to look after our joints but it’s a good place to start!
I have never heard of this supplement. Sounds like something very interesting to try. I definitely need to be better about warming up. I know how beneficial dynamic warm-ups can be.
You’re not alone there! I need to take my own advice when it comes to warming up too but as I’m getting older, my joints defo feel like they need more care and attention!