Change Your Diet

• Anti-inflammatory food
  
  There are times, such as when you have a cut, when your body's inflammatory response is necessary to fight infection. An inappropriate inflammatory response, however, can be damaging and may raise your risk of getting osteoarthritis. Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids lower inflammation, while those high in Omega-6 acids increase it.
  Your arthritis prevention diet should included two weekly servings of cold-water fish like halibut, wild salmon, mackerel or sardines. Substitute the fish for red meat, which can increase inflammation.
  Other good omega-3 sources are ground flax seed and walnuts. Avoid corn and sunflower oil, as well as trans fats like those commonly found in fried fast foods and processed baked goods. Sunflower oil and corn oil have omega-6 acid, and the trans fats will raise your "bad" cholesterol levels, possibly triggering inflammation.
  Limit your intake of sugar and refined flour, both of which can cause inflammation. Replace sugary desserts with a variety of differently colored fruits to get the widest range of inflammation-fighting antioxidants. Get even more antioxidants by eating plenty of different types of vegetables. A study done at the University of Manchester found that as simple a thing as drinking a daily glass of freshly squeezed orange juice can lower the risk of arthritis.
  Learn to cook with herbs and spices like ginger, celery, turmeric and red pepper, all of which have inflammation-relieving compounds.
  
  

Exercise

• Water aerobics
  
  Sensible exercise will help prevent arthritis in two ways. It will keep your joints flexible and the muscles around them strong, and it will control your weight to keep stress on your joints to a minimum. The best arthritis prevention activities are weight-bearing exercises. Water aerobics are also excellent because they combine flexibility improvement with resistance training.
  Your cartilage has no blood supply, so exercising will release synovial fluid from your joints to lubricate and nourish your cartilage and flush away any toxins it contains. Try for variety in your exercise. Constant repetitive motion will stress the joints involved.
  
  

Water

• Water for joint lubrication
  
  Start drinking water, a major component of cartilage. Unless you drink enough of it, your joints won't be as lubricated and shock-resistant as nature intended. Water should be your beverage of choice, while avoiding coffee, tea and soda, which have diuretic effects.