If you’ve lived with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for a while, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced discomfort or stiffness in your feet or ankles (or both). 

While it’s important to address treatment needs with your doctor first, “stretching can help maintain joint mobility and reduce stiffness and pain associated with RA,” said Banger. 

Talk with your doctor about how to incorporate stretching into your current treatment plan and decide how best to get started. If you’re brand-new to stretching, your doctor might recommend working with a physical therapist. And avoid stretching to the point of discomfort. “You should feel better after a good stretch, not worse,” advised Banger. If a stretch starts to hurt, that’s your sign to back off. Don’t forget that low-impact cardio (like walking, swimming, or bicycling) and resistance exercises are just as important. “Aerobic exercise supports cardiovascular health, while strengthening exercises build muscles to support, stabilize, and protect the joints,” explained Banger.

Read the full article at healthcentral.com. 

The practice has long been studied for its cardiovascular benefits, and it's been proven that yoga's mix of deep breathing, mindfulness, and low-impact physical activity can have benefits for your heart (as well as your metabolic health and mental health).

A study in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology found that people who did just 15 minutes of yoga five times a week for three months significantly improved their blood pressure and resting heart rates, and reduced their cardiovascular risk—benefits that weren't seen among a control group that did stretches instead.

This might partially be explained by yoga's focus on controlled breathing. “Slow, deep breathing helps you tap into your parasympathetic nervous system, which controls things like heart rate and blood pressure,” said Banger.

Read the full article at wellandgood.com. 

"Not only can they [stability balls] be used to help manage an acute flare-up of pain, but to also supplement a regular exercise program for prevention of back pain or in rehabilitation for existing pain,” said Banger.

When most think of using a stability ball, ab exercises might immediately come to mind. Banger explained that targeting the core with a stability ball is incredibly common — as core training, can help reduce lower-back pain, improve function in daily activities, and reduce the risk of injury. Banger added that stability balls can be used to “improve balance, proprioception (your sense of where your body is in space), stability, and awareness and control of a 'neutral' spine position," as well as "improve bending and lifting techniques, all of which can help people who experience back pain."

Read the full article at Popsugar.com.