I am concerned about my susceptibility to osteoarthritis, and would like to do everything possible to prevent it. I have learned that proper diet and exercise can help, but are there specific types of exercises that I should focus on (ie cardio vs. weights, running or biking, etc.)?
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Any exercise will be good for you. Walking is great, playing tennis, anything that keeps your joints moving. If you have a healthy diet and weight, then you can do anything active. I would avoid running on hard pavement because that can be tough on your joints and eventually wear them down. Go for runs on dirt or do other low impact exercises such as cycling, walking, or water activities. Hope that helps.
I was looking for information on this subject and came across you old posted question.
Cartilage receives its nutrition from synovial fluid since there are not blood vessels in cartilage. Therefore, to keep cartilage healthy it is probably wise to do exercise that involves the full range of motion of the joint which should facilitate getting synovial fluid and nutrients to all of the cartilage in the joint. Therefore you should do Pilates or Yoga or similar exercises involving full ROM of the joints. Of course, go slow as you increase you ROM gradually.