My mother has told me for yrs to quit w/all the exercise. now it seems at only 48 i have multiple joint arthritis. should i have refrained from cardio?

No: You can have bad arthritis in your 40's without any significant history of exercise. You can exercise hard for years & never get any painful joints, too. If you have arthritis now, giving up exercise will actually make your joints feel worse, although don't overdo! You have decreased many risk factors for other awful diseases by exercising for so many years. Probably worth it!

Not necesarily: We say that exercise is actually a good treatment for arthritis. Fact is, you may have developed your arthritis regardless of your exercise history. And by exercising all those years you certainly improved your heart health and overall fitness.