The expert Guy Brain is a helpline worker for arthritis care. You can call the helpline free on 0808 800 4050 Q Have you got any general tips on managing arthritis? i have osteoarthritis and my friend has rheumatoid arthritis. any general lifestyle tips would be greatly appreciated! name and address withheld guy Brain answers: The main part of living well with arthritis tends to boil down to maintaining the strength in our muscles and eating carefully to watch our weight. But howmuch moving about do we do in our day? Most of us will probably benefit from doing a bit more. If you are busy and tend to drive everywhere, your muscles may not be in great shape; they might not be doing a good job of protecting your joints, so you might feel sore more often. Try to walk every day, ideally for 20-30 minutes if you can. Some daysditch the walk and clean and tidy your home instead. Like swimming but never go? Make a change and give it a try you might surprise yourself. If you know the flab has taken hold, that fat will be affecting the inflammatory levels in your body and you will be ageing faster because of it. But you can change some of your eating routines surprisingly easily. Choose a low-calorie sandwich next time you buy one. Skip the crisps and fizzy drinks. Always have fruit with you to snack on, such as apples or satsumas. There are some brilliant food writers who understand how to cook healthy, low-fat food when you have sore hands. Were particularly fond of Kate, who blogs at Cooking with Arthur take alook at www.arthritiscare.org.uk/independentliving Here at the helpline, we provide information, support, and tell you what the recommended self management may be, but we dont offer medical advice. if the situation is more complicated, why not call us on our freephone number 0808 800 4050 to talk it over? even if you have a lot of experience with selfmanaging your arthritis, its worth having a chat.