Outdoor Activities With RA: Consider Your Symptoms
There’s no single best way to spend time in nature if you have RA. The best activity for you will be tailored to your individual symptoms.
“If rheumatoid arthritis mainly affects your fingers and hands, then a hike could be a sensible option,” suggests Petrie. And if your knees are your most painful joint, then he suggests paddling in water, where you use your arms more than your legs, as a better fit.
These are some suggestion for outdoor activities that have health and well-being benefits:
- Bird-watching
- Gardening
- Outdoor tai chi
- Outdoor yoga
- Walking
- Hiking
- Biking
- Swimming
- Outdoor water aerobics
- Boating
- Sitting on a park bench or in your yard
- Forest bathing
- Nature photography
- Volunteering for an environmental group, park, or preserve
Keep in mind that these activities may or may not work with your RA, and what suits you best can also change over time as your symptoms fluctuate.
“As long as you are outside in natural surroundings, you will get those stress-relieving, anti-inflammatory benefits,” says Petrie.
Ultimately, don’t feel like you have to scale a mountain. It’s important to remember that being outside in nature, without doing anything besides soaking up your surroundings, also has benefits.
The Takeaway
- Spending time in nature has numerous benefits for both physical health and mental health.
- For people with RA, spending time outdoors could theoretically reduce stress and inflammation and potentially ease RA flares (although research hasn’t directly proven this link yet).
- Work with your body and your personal symptoms to find an outdoor activity that’s best for you. Even sitting in your backyard or on a park bench — just by being outside — could help promote health and well-being.
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