Exercise The best activity is something you enjoy MOVING ON UP As the weather gets colder and the nights draw in, it can be harder to stay active. Check out these five low-impact exercises to keep you moving in winter BY GEORGINA WINTERSGILL W hen youre tired and in pain, and its cold and rainy outside, exercise may be the last thing you feel like doing. But exercise is one of the biggest things you can do to ease symptoms such as pain and stiffness, while also improving your mood so keeping as active as possible is really important. Claire Speer, a chartered physiotherapist and Versus Arthritis MSK (musculoskeletal) Champion, says that changing the way you define exercise can help. She explains: When were thinking of lowimpact exercise, I use the term activity rather than exercise. Just moving and being active is a form of exercise. If you can get your heart rate to raise a little bit, strengthen your muscles and move your joints, that can be really beneficial. We know that having excess body fat creates more inflammation in the body, so anything you can do to maintain a healthy weight can really help. The best activity is something you enjoy doing, because if you enjoy it, youll keep doing it. 30 versusarthritis.org PP30-32_Inspire_Winter 2023_Exercises.indd 30 14/11/2023 12:01