Tips for People with Injuries & Disabilities if injury, disability, illness, or weight problems have limited your mobility, it’s even more important to experience the mood-boosting effects of exercise.
Limited mobility does NOT mean you can’t exercise after consulting your doctor or physical therapist. Your body releases endorphins when you exercise that energize your mood, relieve stress, boost your self-esteem, and trigger an overall sense of well-being. Inactivity can cause your mood & energy levels to sink. While some injuries respond best to total rest, most simply require you to reevaluate your exercise routine with help from your doctor or physical therapist.
So what types of choices of exercise are possible with limited mobility after consulting your doctor or physical therapist? It’s important to remember that any type of exercise will offer health benefits. Mobility issues inevitably make some types of exercise easier than others, but no matter your physical situation, you should aim to incorporate three different types of exercise into your routines:
1. Cardiovascular exercises that raise your heart rate & increase your endurance. These can include walking, running, cycling, dancing, tennis, swimming, water aerobics, or “aquajogging”. Even if you’re confined to a chair or wheelchair, it’s still possible to perform cardiovascular exercise after consulting your doctor or physical therapist.
2. Strength training exercises involve using weights or other resistance to build muscle and bone mass, improve balance, and prevent falls. If you have limited mobility in your legs, your focus will be on upper body strength training. Similarly, if you have a shoulder injury, for example, your focus will be more on strength training your legs and abs after consulting your doctor or physical therapist.
3. Flexibility exercises help enhance your range of motion, prevent injury, and reduce pain and stiffness. These may include stretching exercises and yoga. Even if you have limited mobility in your legs, for example, you may still benefit from stretches and flexibility exercises to prevent or delay further muscle atrophy after consulting your doctor or physical therapist.
Setting yourself up for exercise success by talking to your doctor about exercise
Your health team can help you find a suitable exercise routine.
Questions to Ask:
How much exercise can I do each day and each week?
What type of exercise should I do?
What exercises or activities should I avoid?
Should I take medication at a certain time around my exercise routine?
How to exercise with limited mobility after consulting your doctor or physical therapist.
Tip 1: Starting an exercise routine -
Start slow and gradually increase your activity level.
Start with an activity you enjoy, go at your own pace, and keep your goals manageable. Accomplishing even the smallest fitness goals will help you gain body confidence and keep you motivated.
Make exercise part of your daily life. Plan to exercise at the same time every day and combine a variety of exercises to keep you from getting bored.
Stick with it. It takes about a month for a new activity to become a habit.
Write down your reasons for exercising and a list of goals and post them somewhere visible to keep you motivated. Focus on short-term goals, such as improving your mood and reducing stress, rather than goals such as weight loss, which can take longer to achieve. It’s easier to stay motivated if you enjoy what you’re doing, so find ways to make exercise fun: Listen to music, watch a TV show while working out, or exercise with friends.
Expect ups and downs. Don’t be discouraged if you skip a few days or even a few weeks. It happens. Just get started again and slowly build up to your old momentum.
Tip 2: Staying safe when exercising. Always consult your doctor or physical therapist. Stop exercising if you experience pain, discomfort, nausea, dizziness, lightheadedness, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, or clammy hands. Listening to your body is the best way to avoid injury.
****Avoid activity involving an injured body part.******
If you have an upper body injury, exercise your lower body while the injury heals, and vice versa. When exercising after an injury has healed, start back slowly, using lighter weights and less resistance after consulting your doctor or physical therapist.
Warm up ******* stretch *********cool down
Warm up with a few minutes of light activity such as walking, arm swinging, and shoulder rolls, followed by some light stretching (avoid deep stretches when your muscles are cold). After your exercise routine, whether it’s cardiovascular, strength training, or flexibility exercise, cool down with a few more minutes of light activity and deeper stretching.
Drink plenty of water. Your body performs best when it’s properly hydrated.
Wear appropriate clothing, such as supportive footwear and comfortable clothing that won’t restrict your movement.
Overcoming mental and emotional barriers to exercise
As well as the physical challenges you face, you may also experience mental or emotional barriers to exercising. It’s common for people to feel self-conscious about their weight, disability, illness, or injury, and want to avoid working out in public places. Some older people find that they’re fearful about falling or otherwise injuring themselves. Don’t focus on your mobility or health issue. Instead of worrying about the activities you can’t enjoy, concentrate on finding activities that you can.
The more physical challenges you face, the more creative you’ll need to be to find an exercise routine that works for you.
Be proud when you make the effort to exercise, even if it’s not very successful at first. It will get easier the more you practice.
Barrier to exercise ----> Suggestion
B: I’m self-conscious about my weight, injury, or disability.
S: Exercise does not have to mean working out in a crowded gym. There are many exercise programs and DVD's
B: I’m scared of injury.
S: Choose low-risk activities, such as walking or chair-bound exercises, and warm-up and cool-down correctly to avoid muscle strains and other injuries.
B: I can’t motivate myself.
S: Explain your exercise goals to loved ones, ask them to support and encourage you. Find a friend to exercise with. You can motivate each other and turn your workouts into a social event.
B: I’m not coordinated or athletic.
S: Choose exercise that requires little or no skill, such as walking, cycling on a stationary bike, or aquajogging (running in a swimming pool).
B: Exercise is boring, but video games are fun.
S: If traditional exercise is not for you, try playing activity-based video games, known as “exergames”. Games that simulate bowling, tennis, or boxing, for example, can all be played seated in a chair or wheelchair and are fun ways to burn calories and elevate your heart rate, either alone or playing along with friends.
How to exercise with an injury or disability
Since people with disabilities or long-term injuries have a tendency to live less-active lifestyles, it can be even more important for you to exercise on a regular basis and after consulting your doctor or physical therapist.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, adults with disabilities should aim for:
At least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity cardiovascular activity (or a combination of both), with each workout lasting for at least 10 minutes.
Two or more sessions a week of moderate- or high-intensity strength-training activities involving all the major muscle groups.
If your disability or injury makes it impossible for you to meet these guidelines, aim to engage in regular physical activity according to your ability, and avoid inactivity whenever possible always consult your doctor or physical therapist.
Workouts for upper body injury or disability should be done only after consulting your doctor or physical therapist.
Exercise with an injury or disability
Depending on the location and nature of your injury or disability, you may still be able to walk, jog, use an elliptical machine, or even swim using flotation aids. If not, try using a stationary upright or recumbent bike for cardiovascular exercise.
When it comes to strength training, your injury or disability may limit your use of free weights and resistance bands, or may just mean you have to reduce the weight or level of resistance. Consult with your doctor or physical therapist for safe ways to work around the injury or disability, and make use of exercise machines in a gym or health club, especially those that focus on the lower body.
How to exercise in a chair or wheelchair
Chair-bound exercises are ideal for people with lower body injuries or disabilities, those with weight problems or diabetes, and frail seniors looking to reduce their risk of falling. Cardiovascular and flexibility chair exercises can help improve posture and reduce back pain, while any chair exercise can help alleviate body sores caused by sitting in the same position for long periods. They’re also a great way to squeeze in a workout while you’re watching TV.
If possible, choose a chair that allows you to keep your knees at 90 degrees when seated. If you’re in a wheelchair, securely apply the brakes or otherwise immobilize the chair.
Try to sit up tall while exercising and use your abs to maintain good posture.
If you suffer from high blood pressure, check your blood pressure before exercising and avoid chair exercises that involve weights always consult your doctor or physical therapist.
Test your blood sugar before and after exercise if you take diabetes medication that can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
Cardiovascular exercise in a chair or wheelchair
Chair aerobics, a series of seated repetitive movements, will raise your heart rate and help you burn calories, as will many strength training exercises when performed at a fast pace with a high number of repetitions. In fact any rapid, repetitive movements offer aerobic benefits and can also help to loosen up stiff joints.
Wrap a lightweight resistance band under your chair (or bed or couch, even) and perform rapid resistance exercises, such as chest presses, for a count of one second up and two seconds down. Try several different exercises to start, with 20 to 30 reps per exercise, and gradually increase the number of exercises, reps, and total workout time as your endurance improves.
Simple air-punching, with or without hand weights, is an easy cardio exercise from a seated position, and can be fun when playing along with a Nintendo Wii or Xbox 360 video game. Always consult your doctor or physical therapist.
