Health Tips : Exercise For Individuals With Physical Disabilities

By Winston Salem in : Fitness Tips // Jul 25 2010

More fitness choices than ever are available for individuals with disabilities. For example, there are groups for participating in everything from hang-gliding to wheelchair football!

When you are interested in these and other pursuits, opportunities exist worldwide. Plus, getting involved in new activities may open doors you never imagined.

Before starting an exercise program, it is vital to get the go-ahead from a healthcare provider. If you’re taking any medications, ask your provider how they might affect your body’s responses.

For  instance, some drugs reduce sweat rate, so you may overheat more easily than the next person.

Getting involved in regular exercise is an important factor in reaching your weight control goal and improves health in lots of ways. Selecting activities that you love will help keep you aroused to stick with your fitness program.

Select choices that burn calories in addition to maintain or increase muscle mass. What you’re able to do or begin out with will be based on your range of motion.

Depending on your abilities, engaging in strength training for the upper body is important.

This will help build lean muscle mass, expend more calories, and condition so that you’re able to participate in other sports. to burn calories and improve cardiovascular fitness, a number of choices exist.

Tabletop hand bikes, which have pedals for the arms, could be used indoors, and enhance the upper body, too.

Outdoor hand bikes (the wheelchair kind that is used by people who do not have lower body mobility) –  you might recall seeing them in various competitions –  are also used by many physically challenged athletes.

Depending on your physical ability, you could also find swimming to be a excellent workout, both for building upper body strength as well as for burning calories.

Make certain to check your local “Y,” fitness club, or recreation center for exercise classes or instruction in your area.

Since it’s often easier to workout with others, consider the Achilles Track Club International, which offers support and training buddies in a number of locations. Visit their web site for a chapter in the area.

Consulting with a trainer experienced in working with individuals with disabilities to help come up with an individualized program is a good idea.