How to Lose Weight & Exercise If You Are Disabled
You may tell yourself that exercising while being confined to a wheelchair is just too difficult. Week after week, month after month, you put your health at risk by remaining immobile. However, exercise wards off heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer and other diseases. Anyone--even individuals in wheelchairs--can keep their bodies healthy with exercise.
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Instructions
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Chart Your Progress
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Take a picture of yourself before you get started. One of the best motivators for maintaining an exercise program is seeing how much progress you have made. That's why it's important to chart your progress by taking weekly photos of yourself. You don't see yourself changing everyday in the mirror. But photos don't lie. They will be clear indicators of how much muscle tone you've gained and how much weight you've lost.
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Swimming is the best cardiovascular exercise for people in wheelchairs, as it doesn't require the use of your legs. Yet, it demands the constant movement of your shoulders, arms, and torso, all working to elevate your heart rate. For optimum results, swim at least 20 minutes a day, three times per week. If you're concerned about how you will immerse yourself in the water, don't worry. Many pools have a mechanical lift designed to lower disabled people into the water. If not, a staff member can assist you.
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Weightlifting is important for several reasons. Not only does it tone muscles to give your body a better physical appearance, it also works to promote a healthy weight by burning fat when your body is at rest. Maneuvering your way around the weight room at a gym is difficult when you're in a wheelchair. That is why you might find it more comfortable to lift weights at home. Hold a weight in each hand. (If you do not have dumbbells, use canned goods or water bottles.) Extend your arms backward to work triceps, curl them upwards to your chest to work biceps, and raise them above your head to work your deltoids. Do this at least two times per week.
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Tips & Warnings
Besides keeping you in good physical health, exercise also works to help you maintain good psychological health. Having a disability might depress you periodically, or cause you to have mood swings. But exercise helps you combat such emotions by releasing endorphins, or feel-good chemicals, into your brain.
As with any exercise program, it is important to consult your physician before getting started. A doctor can tell you whether you're healthy enough for exercise, and instruct you on how much weight you should lose.
