“I’m trying to lose weight, but I can’t exercise because my knees and hips hurt.” Sound like you? Extra pounds cause extra stress on muscles and joints. Losing even a few pounds can help. Here’s three great ways to lose the weight and the pain:

 1. Plant-Based or Mediterranean Diet

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, and moderate amounts of nuts, olive oil and fish to lose weight and reduce inflammation.

Walking, biking, aquatics, low-impact aerobics, and exercising on an anti-gravity treadmill (yes, we have one!), lets you increase activity and decrease pain.

3. Meditative Movement

Qigong, yoga, Pilates, and tai chi are easy on the joints and help improve range of motion, flexibility and balance. Plus, they can help you stress less and sleep better, which promotes weight loss and pain reduction.