The knee plays an important role in the human body. It’s the joint needed for any movement, including walking and running. And because people walk daily, it isn’t surprising that knees undergo wear and tear, and their health deteriorates over time.
Although knee health problems are associated with aging, they’re also common among young people and children. Knee health complications can negatively affect one’s overall health and quality of life. If you want to keep your knees healthy, there are many ways to achieve that. They include the following:
1. Stay Active By Exercising
Regular exercise is one of the best ways to promote your body’s health. And this is true when it comes to building great knee flexibility. If you develop injury pain due to arthritis, injury, or surgery, strengthening exercises may help enhance your flexibility and reduce pain simultaneously.
Keep in mind that exercises don’t affect your knees directly. Instead, they strengthen the muscles around them, which helps support the knees and boost their flexibility and health. Common knee-strengthening muscle exercises include knee extension, knee flexion, heel and calf raise, swimming, wall squat, hamstring curl, step-up, side leg raise, and leg press.
But before you do any of the exercises mentioned, ask a physician to determine whether it suits you. You should especially make time for a consultation when you are recovering from an injury or surgery.
2. Maintain An Optimum Weight
Excess body weight exerts a lot of pressure on your knees. In other words, it puts more strain on the knee. Excess weight also means your body stores extra fat. The excess body fat may increase chemicals in the blood, which may inflame your knee joints. These can lead to a health condition known as osteoarthritis, which may cause your knee joints to wear away. Common symptoms of osteoarthritis include pain, stiffness, and swelling in the knee joints.
Reducing body weight helps minimize strain and pressure on your knees. As a result, the abovementioned symptoms will likely disappear, which goes a long way in improving your knee health.
There are several things you can do to reduce your body weight. For instance, you should consider having regular meals. Eating more often during the day helps your body to burn calories at a high rate. But you should avoid eating food items rich in starch and fats. 
Such foods will add more weight to your body instead of reducing it.
Another great way to shed some pounds is to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables. Most fruits and vegetables are low in fat and calories. They’re also rich in vitamins and calories, which are good for maintaining an optimum body weight.
You may also keep active with exercises to lose weight. Exercising helps the body burn excess calories you can’t lose through normal dieting. Whether walking, dancing, or swimming, any physical exercise can help you lose excess weight. Find an exercise you can enjoy and add it to your daily routine.
3. Stay Hydrated
Do you feel knee joint pain? If yes, you may be suffering from dehydration. Dehydration causes muscle cramping, which may lead to knee joint pains. It can affect the amount of blood flowing to the joints leading to a decline in the overall function of the knee.
Aside from that, dehydration may lead to loss of joint lubrication. Water is the component that prevents friction between bones in your knee joints. Therefore, hydrating your body enhances smooth and painless movements of the bones in your knee joint.
A foolproof way to stay hydrated is to drink water regularly. That means not waiting until you’re thirsty to have a glass of water. The most recommended quantity of water for adults in a day is about 3.7 liters.
You also need to eat water-rich fruit and vegetables. Many types of fruits and vegetables contain a lot of water. Examples include pineapples, watermelons, and strawberries. And the best thing about fruits is that they also contain helpful nutrients, which may enhance the health of all body parts, including your knees.
4. Get Nights Of Quality Sleep
Another effective way to keep your knees healthy is to get nights of quality sleep. Sleep enables your body to rest and repair damaged parts. Therefore, getting enough sleep can be the solution for injured knees.
Many people participate in regular exercises to boost their sleep. Exercising refreshes your mind and reduces stress in your mind. As such, you can achieve quality sleep.
In addition to exercise, invest in a sleep pillow. The right cushion can improve your comfort and posture to ensure you sleep well. When investing in a sleep pillow, choose one that best suits your sleeping position. For instance, if you like sleeping on your stomach, purchase a stomach sleeping pillow.
Takeaway
The knees play an important role in your daily life. They enable you to move and complete other routine tasks. However, sometimes your knees may develop some complications that affect their functionality. Regardless of whether you’re old or young, there are some effective strategies you can implement to keep your knees healthy. These include exercising, hydrating your body, reducing weight, and getting nights of quality sleep.
