The winter season, characterized by low temperatures, has been known to heighten joint pain and stiffness in many people, especially in cases of arthritis or other joint problems. With low temperatures, blood flow to the muscles and joints reduces significantly, thus increasing stiffness and discomfort.

Winter itself may also cause indirect reduction in physical activity. This is a summary of what happens when the muscles and joints tighten up even further. If such symptoms do exist, then there are physiotherapist-directed specific interventions that help in mitigating the pain and enhance the mobility of the joint. Here is how physiotherapy can keep the joints healthy and pain-free this winter.

Why Winter Aggravates Joint Pain

In cold weather, natural drops in blood flow can limit circulation to extremities. Typically, this causes the muscles to stiffen, increases joint stiffness, and decreases the range of motion. Movement tends to become less fluid with colder temperatures because it thickens joint fluid. All these changes can make the pain worse, especially in people who are suffering from diseases like arthritis, osteoporosis, or old injuries. Being indoors and a drop in physical activities lead to more stiffness, which multiplies the pain that joints experience.

How Physiotherapy Relieves Winter Joint Pain

Physiotherapy is an excellent, non-surgical treatment that can help relieve joint pain, especially during winter. It includes movement-based therapies, manual techniques, and lifestyle advice to reduce the amount of pain felt in the joints and hence increase flexibility. Some physiotherapy methods to ensure keeping the joints healthy and active even during winter:

1. Customized Exercise Programs

Regular, controlled exercise is much needed to preserve mobility, strength, and flexibility in the joints. Physiotherapists will design an exercise program tailored for each patient based on the current state of the condition. The primary goal of this exercise is to minimize joint stress as much as possible. Simple, low-impact exercises such as cycling or swimming, or even brisk walking, are prescribed. Gentle stretching routines sustain muscle elasticity, reducing stiffness. Resistance training also helps build muscle power around the joints for additional support and stability.

2. Manual Therapy to Relieve Immediate Pain

Manual therapy, which includes joint mobilization and soft tissue massage, can provide immediate pain relief and movement in a joint. The hands-on technique enhances blood flow, relaxes tense muscles, and liberates all tension in joints to make movement easier and clearer. Regular sessions will bring flexibility, eliminate stiffness, and remove all forms of pain and discomfort, thus leaving ample scope for a healthy active lifestyle even at the depth of winter.

3. Heat and Cold Therapy

There are various heat therapies recommended to relieve discomfort caused by cold weather, especially in winter. Heat therapy increases blood flow to the affected area, reduces muscle tension, and relieves stiffness. Meanwhile, cold therapy relieves in case of inflammation or swelling since it numbs the affected area, reducing pain. Physiotherapists often advise patients to use heating pads, warm baths, or heat packs for sore joints. They should educate their patients on the timing and methods of applying hot and cold, so that they get maximal relief.

4. Electrotherapy and Ultrasound Therapy

For chronic joint pain, electrotherapy and ultrasound therapy are excellent physiotherapy intervention tools. These methods of intervention use application of electric currents or penetration of sound waves to deep tissues that can alleviate pain, swelling, and inflammation. It loosens up tension in muscles, facilitates blood flow, and hence becomes a long-term reliever for those with chronic joint discomfort.

Daily Tips to Nurture Your Joints Through Winter

Some simple practices can be added to support joint health:

-Avoid 'dressing warmly around joints' as this sometimes contributes to stiffness.

- Move or stretch actively at regular intervals throughout the day

- Keep drinking fluids to keep the joints well-lubricated.

- Alternate between rest and activity to avoid joint stiffness brought about by immobility.

Dealing with winter joint pain can be challenging, but physiotherapy is a goldmine of practical solutions to overcome discomfort and stiffness. Combining personalized exercises, manual therapy, or heat and cold therapies in the work of a physiotherapist can help protect joints and maintain an even more active and comfortable lifestyle throughout the season. With these strategies, you will enjoy a healthier, pain-free winter.

When it comes to building a strong core, most of us think about exercises like crunches, or sit ups. But there is a lot more to core strength than that. One of the main aspects of core strength is stability and balance. While the floor exercises are helpful, they strain your neck muscles, so what can one do?

You can build a powerful, stable midsection entirely on your feet. Standing core workouts are often more "functional" than traditional crunches because they mimic how your body actually moves in daily life, twisting, carrying, and resisting gravity.

7 Standing Exercises For Strong Core

These are some exercises you can try. They will not only help you build strong core muscles but also build your coordination and balance.

Standing Bicycle Crunches

This move is a fantastic way to wake up your entire abdominal wall. By bringing your opposite knee and elbow together in front of your body, you force your obliques to rotate and your front abs to crunch while standing. It also challenges your brain and balance as you switch from leg to leg. Focus on bringing the knee high rather than just pulling your neck down.

High-Intensity High Knees

This move brings a cardio element to your core training. By quickly driving your knees toward your chest, you engage the lower abdominals and hip flexors. It requires a lot of energy and keeps your heart rate high while forcing your abs to stabilize your upright torso. If the jumping is too much, you can perform it as a slow, powerful march instead.

Standing Dumbbell Side Crunch

Think of this as a side-bend with a purpose. By holding a weight in one hand and leaning toward it, you stretch the opposite side of your waist. The real work happens when you use those side muscles to pull your body back to a perfectly straight, upright position. It is one of the best ways to build lateral strength and define the sides of your torso.

Cable or Band Wood Chop

The wood chop mimics the diagonal motion of swinging an axe, which is a powerful, functional movement. It trains your core to handle rotational force, which is essential for sports like golf or tennis. As you pull the weight across your body, keep your hips stable and let your midsection drive the motion. This builds a core that is both strong and incredibly mobile.

Offset Marching

Holding a weight in one hand while marching forces your body to stabilize against an uneven load. Every time you lift a knee, your core has to fire to prevent you from wobbling or tipping toward the weighted side. This exercise is excellent for improving balance and strengthening the deep "hidden" muscles of the belly that keep your hips and lower back healthy.

The Pallof Press

This is an "anti-rotation" exercise, meaning the goal is to resist movement rather than create it. As you press a cable or band away from your chest, the tension tries to pull you sideways. Your core must stay tight to keep your hands centered. It is a subtle but intense burner that builds incredible stability in the deep abdominal layers and the obliques.

Heavy Suitcase Carry

This exercise is as simple as it is effective. By carrying a heavy weight on just one side, your core must work constantly to keep you from leaning over. This "anti-leaning" action recruits the deep muscles that protect your spine and improve your posture. Imagine there is a string pulling the top of your head toward the ceiling as you take steady, controlled steps.

Your heart health does not depend on how much or intensely you exercised when as a young adult. Instead, a new study shows adults need five hours of exercise weekly to keep their heart healthy. This new research suggests that staying active through middle age is the key to preventing high blood pressure (hypertension) later in life

A long-term study published in American Journal of Preventive Medicine. of over 5,000 people found that while many people start out active in their 20s, those habits often slip away as they get older.

How Many Hours Do You Need To Exercise?

The study, led by experts at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), tracked participants for 30 years. They found that the current minimum exercise recommendations for adults might not be enough to regulate high blood pressure.

Currently, the standard advice is about 2.5 hours of moderate exercise per week. However, scientists found that people who worked out for five hours a week, double the minimum right now, and significantly lowered their risk. The benefit was strongest for those who kept up this routine until they reached age 60.

Why Does The Older Generation Need To Exercise More?

Between the ages of 18 and 40, most people’s activity levels drop significantly. As young adults move into college, start careers, or become parents, leisure time disappears, and exercise often falls to the bottom of the priority list.

Researchers noted that nearly half of the young adults in the study weren't active enough, which directly linked to seeing their blood pressure rise as they entered middle age.

High blood pressure is often called a "silent killer" because most people don’t feel any symptoms, yet it affects billions of people worldwide. If left unchecked, it can lead to:

• Heart attacks and strokes.
• An increased risk of dementia.
• General heart disease.

The World Health Organization reports that more than 25 percent of men and 20 percent of women deal with this condition.

Researchers pointed out that things like neighborhood safety, work responsibilities, and socioeconomic challenges can make it harder for some groups to maintain a consistent workout routine over several decades.

Easy and Cost Effective Ways To Control Hypertension

Controlling high blood pressure doesn't have to be expensive. By making simple lifestyle adjustments, you can significantly improve your heart health. Mayo Clinic suggests,

Move More and Sit Less

You should aim for 30 minutes of daily aerobic activity like walking, cycling, or dancing. Adding strength training twice a week helps even more. Regular movement can lower your blood pressure by 5 to 8 mm Hg. Replacing habits like driving to a nearby place with walking and taking the stairs instead of the elevator can also help.

Eat Smart and Reduce Salt

Diets like the Mediterranean diets, which has fruits, vegetables, and whole grains helps a lot. By lowering salt intake to 1,500 mg daily and eating potassium-rich foods can drop blood pressure by up to 11 mm Hg. Mayo clinic suggest that one must avoid processed foods and use herbs instead of table salt.

Ditch Harmful Habits

Limiting alcohol and quitting smoking are two of the fastest ways to improve your numbers. Smoking spikes blood pressure immediately, while excessive drinking makes heart medications less effective.

Prioritize Rest and Stress Relief

Aim for 7–9 hours of quality sleep, stress management is equally important, so practice saying "no" to extra tasks, focus on things you can control, and take time for hobbies.

Monitor and Support

Track your blood pressure at home and keep regular doctor appointments. Don't go it alone; involve friends or join a support group to stay motivated.

Tired of following multiple weight-loss diets and not seeing any results?

While many may recommend combining a strict, high-intensity workout routine with healthy food, Instagram-famous fitness trainer Tarn Kaur, who managed to lose nearly 40kg in less than a year, has revealed the 'weird' habits that helped her get back in shape instead.

Here is what the former lawyer, now online coach, recommends:

1. Keeping Treats Out Of Sight

Kaur noted in a lengthy Instagram post: "If I don’t see it, i don’t eat it. Hiding tempting foods has saved me from so many unnecessary snacks. out of sight, really, does mean out of mind."

2. Chewing Gum Like A Lifeline

The fitness expert revealed that she likes to eat a piece of mint after meals or whenever junk food cravings hit. "It’s like a little pause button for my brain and stops me from reaching for junk," she noted.

3. Planning Indulgences Ahead

In order to avoid binge eating or consuming excessive calories, Kaur logs her treats in an app even before she consumes them. She clarified that she likes to track her treats so as not restrict herself from eating but to 'take control and enjoy food without guilt'.

4. Checking If It's Worth It

Kaur explained: "If a food won’t give me pure satisfaction, I skip it. Life’s too short to feel bloated for something mediocre. My body deserves better." The trainer believes life is too short to feel bloated over something mediocre and feels her body deserves better.

5. Saying “I'm Full” Out Loud

Kaur mentioned that saying “I'm full” out loud helps signal her brain that she's done eating and prevents mindless bites when she's not paying attention.

6. Skipping Bread And Extras

Citing the phrase 'out of sight, out of mind', Kaur admitted that restaurants used to once be her downfall but now she steers clear from bread baskets and chips while dining out.

7. Portion Awareness With Clothing

The trainer also mentioned that she steers clear of comfy joggers as they often led to endless grazing for her, while fitted clothes served as a gentle reminder to respect portions and stay mindful of her body.

8. Throwing Away What Doesn't Serve You

Lastly, Kaur told her viewers that while leftovers tempt her, they do not align with her goals go straight into the bin. For her, it is not about guilt but about choosing herself first.

Apart from this, Kaur also recommends swapping traditional Indian tea with black coffee, white rice with cauliflower rice, packaged juices with electrolytes, fried snacks with baked veggie chips, sugary biscuits with almond flour cookies and white bread with wholegrain bread to maximize benefits.