A well balanced meal and regular exercise is the key to living a healthier lifestyle. If you’re interested in improving your overall health, this is likely something you’ve heard time and time again. However, hearing it and doing it are two different things. While you may very well have good intentions of getting your health under control, there are things that can keep you from doing it. For some people, it’s a matter of willpower, for others, it’s a matter of physical incapability (or hindrances) that make it hard to change. This post will address the latter of the two.

Physical Challenges

For those who suffer from physical challenges such as diabetes, arthritis, excessive back pain, etc, getting a good fitness routine down packed might be harder than it is for most. Finding the means to work through pain without overloading on pills can often present a challenge in and of itself. You want to work out, but after five minutes of doing so, your back is hurting or your knees give out… so what do you do?

Compression Products

For those who have physical afflictions or preexisting conditions that make fitness or exercise of any kind a challenge, there are products that you can invest in to aid you. Compression products essentially apply pressure to designated areas of the body (particularly the arms and legs) that you’re experiencing pain in. While most would try to avoid pressure altogether, in this instance, having a little pressure can go a long way in helping to improve your fitness goals, and overall quality of life. Here’s how:

1.  Improved Circulation – Those who suffer from poor circulation as a result of a preexisting condition like diabetes often find it difficult to work out for long periods of time. However, a compression product such as socks can help to improve circulation from your legs and feet.

2.   Reduces Clot Formation – Do you suffer from medical conditions that result in extensive blood clots to the point that you feel immobilized? When you’ve been diagnosed with having a blood clot, the doctor often orders you to bed rest and provides blood thinners. This obviously is not great for your health and fitness goals as sitting around only helps you to pack on the pounds. However products such as anti embolism socks can help to reduce the presence of blood clots which in turn increases your ability to get up and get fit.

3.  Improved Healing Times – There are those who would love to be active in the gym, but can’t due to an injury they’ve encountered. While it is important to follow the doctor’s orders and allow your body to heal on its own, sometimes staying off the horse too long can really pack on the pounds. You may have seen athletes wear compression sleeves, socks, or shorts after suffering an injury. Such products are ideal because they provide protection for your arm or leg muscles and soft tissue, while providing pressure which helps to improve circulation. Improve circulation in turn helps you to heal at a faster rate.

4.  Pain/Arthritis Relief  – Inflammation and pain are constant symptoms that arthritis sufferers deal with on the daily basis. This obviously makes it very challenging to hit the gym or even take a walk around a park to burn off some calories. While there are great medications that can help to soothe the symptoms of arthritis, there are limitations to how much of those medications you can take (not to mention the adverse side effects that could result from taking too much pain medication). Compression products however apply pressure to the parts of the body that are most plagued by pain. Just the right amount of pressure improves circulation, which makes movement a lot easier on those who suffer from pain.

Whether you’re just beginning or have been attempting to start a good fitness regimen, find comfort in knowing it can take time. While most of living a healthy lifestyle is mind over matter, there are instances in which your body simply won’t allow you to do what you know is best overall. Preexisting medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, or deep venous thrombosis can make movement a lot more challenging. However, as we all know, movement is required to burn calories and get in shape. Compression products such as gloves, shorts, socks, and sleeves are all beneficial in helping to reduce the complications of swelling, pain, and clotting so that you can live a more comfortable life.