Lower Hutt Arthritis Support group together with Sport Wellington and the Wellington Arthritis Support Group collaborated for a very informative and engaged monthly meet up.

Lower Hutt Arthritis Support Group organised for Nutritionist Kate McCartney from Sport Wellington to come and talk about nutrition – a very hot topic when it comes to arthritis. McCartney spoke about healthy eating with a balanced diet, a bit of everything in moderation, and explained more about the differences between whole foods, less processed foods and highly processed foods.

Wellington Arthritis Support Group Chair Steph Grummit followed up Kates talk by sharing her experience of having Spondylitis and the importance of daily exercise in her treatment strategy, engaging the group to try out some very gentle exercises that they can start their day with.

A key message from Steph’s talk is to always pace yourself and don’t do more on your good day than you would on your bad day.

“Exercise helps you feel better and helps with your treatment strategy, your pain management and your fatigue. Exercise can give you independence, freedom and adventure – with pain comes a reduced quality of life, doing exercise can dramatically improve your quality of life,” she said.

Both support groups enjoyed the collaboration and encourage other support groups to do the same. 

If your group needs some inspiration on speakers, why not try and contact your local Sports Council or another health provider to improve and engage your group to manage their arthritis better.