Joints: Your Lifeline to Success

     Taking care of your joints shouldn't be a practice you begin when you have become aged, as popular opinion would have you believe. In this case, proper joint care should begin right now, especially if you are physically active. If you are young, your joints might not feel much pain as you perform physical activity. This is a good thing, yet you should consider the fact that with each torque of your joints, every hour you spend standing at your job, and every heavy object you decide to move, your joints are sustaining damage. You might wake up the next morning with minor discomfort and think nothing of it and for the most part, your day will go unhindered. It is important to keep in mind that with each day that passes, that discomfort will only grow. With every passing year, you will be burdened with an ever-increasing burden upon your body that will lead to greater fatigue at the end of the day, more hours spent in bed dealing with that pain, and soon enough, your exercise consistency may begin to suffer as a result of this joint pain.

     Whether you consider yourself younger or older, there is any number of dietary changes you can make that will repair that damage to your joints while the issue isn't too much of a burden. After all, it is much easier to fix a problem when it is small rather than when it has become a fully-blown problem. Like with any other problem that can be solved through diet and supplementation, there are particular nutrients that your body needs to make those repairs and address swelling in the joints (inflammation). The most important of these ingredients are:

     *Glucosamine
     *Chondroitin
     *Hyaluronic Acid.
     *MSM

     Glucosamine is one of the major building blocks of cartilage and acts as the cushion in your joints that will reduce the load placed on them from physical activity. Glucosamine is not found naturally in food sources. In nearly all cases, it must be added into your diet in supplement form. Most of these supplements are produced through grinding up the shells of shellfish (glucosamine sulfate), yet if you are allergic to shellfish, another form of glucosamine exists called Glucosame 2KCl, which is derived from a vegetable source.

     Chondroitin is another building block of cartilage and helps to draw water into your joints to make them more resilient to stress and damage. Chondroitin can be found in only a few food sources and they unanimously come from the cartilage or bones of other animals. Bone broth, animal cartilage, and gristle are among the most common sources for this essential supplement.

     Hyaluronic acid is another joint supplement ingredient that performs many different functions for joints. Alongside glucosamine and chondroitin, hyaluronic acid helps to grow more cartilage in the joints to aid in smooth function, helps to lubricate the joints, and reduces inflammation. Hyaluronic acid doesn't have many food sources, so supplementation is the most practical option unless you are willing to consume eggshell membranes, where the chemical lies.

     MSM, or methylsulfonylmethane, is a naturally-occurring subtance that helps to relieve pain and swelling (inflammation). Supposedly effective for a range of symptoms from pain relief relating to arthritis to combatting inflammation directly, MSM is a common supplement in joint health formulas to tackle these issues.

     Along with these supplements to support joint health, always make sure you are not over-exerting yourself to the point of intentional damage to your joints, do not skip out on a high-protein meal after a strenuous workout, and always give yourself enough time to rest so that your body will have enough time to fix the damage you have inflicted throughout the day. Achieving your physical goals is similar to running a marathon rather than a sprint, so make sure you are setting yourself up for a long race rather than a short one.