Kathy Nishnic has been named Employee of the Year at Mantei and Associates (now Cola Wealth Advisors), where she helps clients realize their financial goals as a registered representative for Centaurus Financial, Inc. In her free time, Kathy Nishnic maintains a healthy lifestyle, walking every day to support a healthy heart and healthy joints.

Many people, particularly those with arthritis, feel pain in their joints when they haven’t moved for a long period of time. This pain makes it difficult for them to find the motivation to exercise, but walking regularly actually alleviates joint pain and can prevent arthritis from taking hold.

Since walking is a low-impact exercise, it does not strain weight-bearing joints, such as the knees and feet. In fact, it keeps the cartilage in these areas healthy by increasing blood flow. Thanks to this increased blood flow, the cartilage receives the necessary nutrients for properly cushioning and protecting the bones, decreasing stiffness and increasing range of motion. For people who have already lost cartilage volume, walking also rebuilds the cartilage.

In addition, walking strengthens muscles in the legs and elsewhere. When these muscles become stronger, they are more capable of handling weight, and provide the joints with better support and protection. This, in turn, alleviates joint pain.

Finally, walking helps people lose and manage their weight. Any extra pounds add more stress and pressure to weight-bearing joints. This makes inflammation in the area worse, and causes more pain. People who lose extra weight dramatically decrease the pressure on their joints. In fact, every pound lost decreases the amount of pressure on the joints by about four times.