Exercise with mobility problems

Exercise is a great thing for everyone, disabled or not. It can help ease the symptoms of depression, relieve stress and anxiety, improve your outlook on life, and help boost your self-esteem. It works by releasing endorphins that allow you to feel much better, so don’t limit yourself if you have a disability. It can be a bit more difficult to find the best exercise regimen for you, but once you do, you can begin to reap all the rewards that exercise brings.

If you have a disability that involves a mobility problem, there are a few things you should focus on in your training. Cardio, strength training, and flexibility will help increase your heart rate, improve your range of motion, help prevent injury, and help reduce any pain you may have. The trick is to start slowly and work your way up so you don’t overdo it and then want to stop exercising altogether. Like anyone else starting an exercise regimen, sticking with it and expecting ups and downs is also important. Rome was not built in a day and it is not an exercise program either.

If you are limited in what you can do because you are in a wheelchair, there are wheelchair and indeed chair exercises (great for anyone!) That you can do. These include chair aerobics or something as simple as air strokes. You can also do resistance training with a lightweight resistance band that you attach to your chair or a doorknob and gently pull to increase your resistance. There are also therapy pools in most cities that allow you to exercise with the added benefits of water. Shoulder presses, wheelchair sports, bicep curls, and tricep extensions are also great options to try while sitting in your chair. However, while in that chair, you need to make sure the brakes are on and your knees are at a 90 degree angle if possible, sit up straight and use those abs for good posture at all times. This will help prevent injury and keep you in a great position for those great workouts.

With just a little ingenuity, anyone with a disability can engage in an exercise program and reap the rewards. Don’t forget the rules about proper warm-up, stretching, and cool-down exercises and, of course, drink plenty of water at all times. The best advice of all? Have fun!