THE JOINT Your weekly dose of RA wellness The Movement Edition I Almost Ate the Sidewalk Yesterday I stepped off a curb, lost my balance, and went down. I was sure it was going to be a hard fall that left me flat on the ground. Instead, I popped right back up quicker than a bunny. Once I recovered from the ordeal, I had an irritating thought: This is why I do core work. I hate Pilates, planks, sit-ups, and anything resembling a core workout. The minute an instructor announces, “Time for...
7 days ago • 2 min read
THE JOINT Your weekly dose of RA wellness The Mindset Edition Halfway Up, Questioning Everything Hiking is one of the activities I refuse to give up. I love the payoff at the top, the ache in my legs, and the way the world looks from a different vantage point. These days, aching knees and painful wrists make the climb more complicated. About halfway up, I usually start wondering whether it was a good idea. Then I reach the top. I am still tired and uncomfortable, but I am also genuinely happy...
15 days ago • 2 min read
THE JOINT Your weekly dose of RA wellness The Nutrition Edition The Two-Drink Gut Punch Several years ago, the shock of being diagnosed with RA was followed by another gut punch. My rheumatologist advised me to limit alcohol to two drinks per week because I was starting methotrexate. As someone who genuinely enjoys cocktails, happy hours, and drinks with friends, two per week sounded painfully restrictive. I wanted the research to give me some wiggle room. It did. For a minute. Alcohol's Good...
22 days ago • 3 min read
THE JOINT Your weekly dose of RA wellness The Evidence Edition The Glow-Up Meets the Evidence Somewhere between my first red light therapy ad and the fiftieth, one of those devices landed in my online cart. The promises seem limitless: smoother skin, fewer wrinkles, less joint pain, faster recovery, and lower inflammation. Friends love theirs, TikTok is full of before-and-afters, and my finger has hovered over “Buy Now” more times than I would like to admit. I would love better skin and...
29 days ago • 5 min read
THE JOINT Your weekly dose of RA wellness The Movement Edition You Don't Have to Burpee Last Friday, halfway through my usual HIIT class, I caught myself wondering if I should even be there. I felt fine. But was I putting unnecessary stress on my joints? Was all that intensity increasing my risk of pain, fatigue, or a flare? I've done HIIT for years. For me, that usually means jump squats, burpees, lunges, and short bursts of hard cardio. Then another question hit me. What even counts as...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
THE JOINT Your weekly dose of RA wellness The Mindset Edition Why Living With RA Is So Mentally Exhausting Before I've finished my coffee, I've already made three decisions about my body. Are my hands too stiff for today's workout, or will moving them help? Is this fatigue or a warning sign? Can I say yes to tonight without paying for it tomorrow? Individually, none of these decisions seem like much. Multiply them across every hour of every day, and the repetition starts to wear you down:...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
THE JOINT Your weekly dose of RA wellness The Nutrition Edition Is Your Dessert Causing Tomorrow's Pain? After I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, I started researching and eliminating anything that might be making it worse. That led me to eliminate gluten, dairy, processed foods, and sugar. Sugar was the first to go. I wasn't interested in moderation. I wanted every possible advantage I could find. Sugar has never really found its way back into my daily routine, although I'm not...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
THE JOINT Your weekly dose of RA wellness The Evidence Edition I Accidentally Ran My Own Supplement Experiment While I was in Albania, I only packed the medications I considered essential. I kept taking my hydroxychloroquine and folic acid. Everything else stayed home. I expected more pain and stiffness, less energy, and more brain fog. Instead, after two weeks, I felt exactly the same. By the end of my trip, I was questioning which supplements were earning a spot in my routine and which ones...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
THE JOINT Your weekly dose of RA wellness The Movement Edition Walking Counts More Than You Think This week's newsletter is short again. I'm still on the road and most of my normal routine is packed away in a suitcase. But something happened over the past two weeks that I didn't expect. I've skipped strength training, eaten plenty of restaurant meals, and abandoned my normal routine. Despite all this, I don't feel like I've lost much fitness at all. What I have been doing is walking. I have...
2 months ago • 3 min read