Summer is a great time to get outdoors. You can visit your local parks, take walks with friends and enjoy late sunsets that turn into cool nights. However, all of these activities can take a toll on your knees over time. Follow these four steps to maintain healthy knees throughout the summer months.

Practice Low-impact Knee Exercises

The best way to get healthy knees is to keep them moving. Try a few low-impact exercises that allow you to loosen up your muscles and strengthen your legs. This will help the joints in your knees to relax and build up your leg muscles to take the pressure off of them. Additionally, look for exercises that don’t stress the knees. Swimming is a great way to get your cardio in without the knee pain that comes with running.

Try Supplements for Joint Pain

If you have a specific problem in your body (like chronic knee pain) then you need a targeted solution. If you experience pain in your joints and other forms of joint pain, look into various over the counter supplements to help. You can also find organic and all-natural options if you are concerned about the ingredients. With the right recipe of vitamins and minerals, you could be on your way toward healthy knees.

Look for Knee-Friendly Foods

While there aren’t foods that directly help your knees, you can look for foods that target your joints. These include cherries, red peppers, oatmeal, turmeric, and walnuts. All of these foods (and foods from similar families) work to provide you with the right vitamins and minerals to have a healthy body. Many of these foods also reduce inflammation, which leads to reduced pain.

Watch Your Weight

Extra weight means extra stress on your knees, which often take the brunt of the force when you do activities like standing and walking. Roughly 20% of American adults suffer from knee pain, many because they are overweight. Use the summer to determine what your healthy weight should be and develop a plan to get closer to it. Along with increasing your energy and lowering your risk for heart disease, you could notice less pain in your knees as you shake off the pounds.

If you are practicing healthy knee health but are still in pain, reach out to professionals who can help. ViscoGen™ offers a non-surgical knee treatment so you can regain your range of motion and reduce pain. Contact us today and ask about KneeVisc5® to treat knee pain.