Wheelchair Exercises
Wheelchair Exercises are such an important part of living life with a disability. When you spend a good deal of your day in a motorized wheelchair it takes a toll on your body by storing fat, losing muscle, and your muscles tighten resulting in reduced flexibility.
Exercise will help keep muscle lean and various stretching techniques will keep those muscles loose and well toned. You’ll look better and feel better giving you a higher sense of well being and self esteem. Qualities that I think everyone has room to develop.
Developing upper body strength will help you when you find yourself having to move around in a manual wheelchair. If your in shape then you’ll find that you have fewer strained muscles, the soreness in your arms and back will start to go away as you strengthen those areas of your body too.
I should also mention the weight gain involved with limited mobility. You have to find a way to burn those calories, not exercising will put you at risk of heart problems diabetes and a whole slew of other health problems. It’s easy to talk about, hard to do. I know because I let myself get to 225lbs and I felt horrible. I’m down to 195 and there’s nothing like that feeling you get knowing that you did this!
While it is important for anybody in a motorized wheelchair to get on an exercise program and stay on it, it’s more important to get yourself checked out by your doctor before starting one. You might also think about getting a personal trainer if you can afford one. They will make sure you don’t over do it. Be sure they’re certified too.
Before Starting any Wheelchair Exercise you need to stretch.
Stretch for at least 10 minutes before starting and another 10 minutes after your workout is finished. Use proper technique when stretching. Slow smooth movements, no jerking or you could hurt yourself. Always remember to breath exhale while exerting and inhale during the reset. Don’t eat too much before a workout and remember to drink plenty of water.
Some Standard Wheelchair Exercises:
Strengthen your muscles by starting with resistance training then move on to strength training. Follow your personal trainer closely here, starting out too fast here can hurt you. You’ll start with resistance bands here and progress to free weights as you get stronger. Be sure to work all the muscle groups.
During this whole process don’t over do it, if your feeling light headed make sure to rest and it’s better to do more repetitions with less weight than the other way around.
Hope this article helps to put wheelchair exercises in perspective for you.
