Exercising & Disabled

[Scooby Snacks]

Originally Posted by Ottawa2011

Just adding... depending upon the disability, doctor's orders might prohibit certain types of exercise. My doctor said "no" to me signing up for pilates, and even some yoga studios want customers to sign an injury waiver... half the yoga moves, I can't do anyway. I tried a spinning class, and discovered to my surprise that I can't even ride a bike, because my spinal fusion means I can't roll my shoulders forward (so all my weight rests on my wrists). Trial and error.

It's a good idea to get a referral to a physiotherapist who can assess what mobility restrictions you ought to have, and they can suggest activities, and areas to work on.

I can do water aerobics, which I haven't done in awhile, but I'll suggest that as something that most people can do.

I feel you. Figuring out an exercise routine when you're disabled can be a (literal) pain. I had bilateral shoulder surgery several years ago, so I've never been able to do a decent push-up, and forget side planks, since then. No matter how much upper body strength training I do, and I do strength and cardio training 5 days a week at least, my shoulders have never gotten any stronger. I also had a severe head injury that has left me epileptic, so I am not allowed to swim alone. A few months ago my wife was really wanting me to take SCUBA class with her. My neurologist would not give me medical clearance for it

It's just a matter of adapting to your limitations and working with what you have. Exercise makes anyone feel good, and probably helps people with disabilities even more than those without. The water aerobics would probably be a good start for you. Just take it slow and easy and when you build up more strength you will improve. Good luck!

[Ottawa2011]

Originally Posted by Scooby Snacks

I feel you. Figuring out an exercise routine when you're disabled can be a (literal) pain. I had bilateral shoulder surgery several years ago, so I've never been able to do a decent push-up, and forget side planks, since then. No matter how much upper body strength training I do, and I do strength and cardio training 5 days a week at least, my shoulders have never gotten any stronger. I also had a severe head injury that has left me epileptic, so I am not allowed to swim alone. A few months ago my wife was really wanting me to take SCUBA class with her. My neurologist would not give me medical clearance for it

It's just a matter of adapting to your limitations and working with what you have. Exercise makes anyone feel good, and probably helps people with disabilities even more than those without. The water aerobics would probably be a good start for you. Just take it slow and easy and when you build up more strength you will improve. Good luck!

Thank you so much for the encouragement.

I think anyone with any level of disability could always use more encouragement to exercise or join a gym, community centre, fitness class, or so on. When you have a physical impairment of any kind, the fact is, you will never reach "perfection", no matter how much you exercise or how much you watch what you eat. That in itself can be demotivating--the goal of so many people at gyms seems to be to reach some state of perfection. Some gym regulars even get pretty darn close to it! But for the rest of us, simply being as healthy as possible should be considered a worthwhile goal.

[charolastra00]

While I am not disabled, I have health challenges that make exercising more difficult. I gained 80 pounds while on chemo (thanks, steroids) in under 6 months. Making it worse, I lost all of my strength during that period of time. I couldn't even lift a bag of trash to take it out! Coupled with scarring on my lungs due to chemo, my 4 years in remission have been challenging just returning to normal quality of life, much less exercising! Medications also shot my thyroid and therefore my metabolism to hell, so I have to be very careful about diet and make sure to move a whole lot. It's been a rough road. It's hard enough being diagnosed with stage IV cancer at 23 but the extreme weight gain just adds insult to injury!

A few things:
- Talk to your doctor. They might have ideas or resources for you. For instance, I was able to get some physical therapy covered by my insurance. When I mentioned how my lung damage was making it difficult to work out because I get winded and dizzy very easily, my doctor gave me an inhaler that has totally changed my life.
- Look to the online illness community for recommendations for trainers who get it. Trainers aren't for everyone, but a good one will help you find a baseline and move on from there.
- Try out different forms of exercise to see what works for you. Right now, I love the rowing machine and spin class but can't stand the elliptical, treadmill, or Zumba. I also know I'm much more likely to fire up Audible and go for a 4 hour walk/gentle hike on a weekend rather than even a half hour doing my weekday cardio routine.


I wonder if a ski machine could be modified for someone without the use of their legs? See:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwyL-SIV72c It's a standing cardio exercise that engages the arms and core, as well as the legs in the form of a squat. I'd guess you could still get a pretty good workout from the chair! Resistance bands are also a great, low cost way of getting exercise that you can do at home. Most arm resistance band work outs can be modified to do from a chair.

There are a few exercises on Youtube for people in wheelchairs (like Zumba on Wheels, which seems to show more than explain how to do the moves), but if there are any internet-fame hungry people out there - we need more of them! None are well-produced or even full videos.