Exercise as Major Disability Help

As disability help, many exercise programs have been specially modified to suit the needs and health condition of people who are confined to wheelchairs. These are usually upper body exercises that are in the category of strength and cardio training, weight loss, yoga, aerobics and flexibility. A lot of information has also been provided for disabled people who would like to go into body building, weights training and other wheelchair exercises.

Moderate physical activity that goes for a minimum of 30 minutes for five days a week at least is recommended for most adults.

What is Physical Exercise?

In order to be more efficient with your disability help program, it is essential that you know the definition of physical exercise. It has been defined as any bodily or physical activity that maintains or boosts physical fitness and general health. The reasons for performing physical exercise are varied. It could just be for strengthening muscles and cardiovascular stamina or it could also be for fine tuning athletic abilities. Regular physical exercise helps in boosting the immune system prevents the onset of diseases such as heart disease, obesity and Type 2 diabetes. It is also important in maintaining ideal weight, preventing depression and in improving mental health.

Proper nutrition is often neglected by most people since the focus often goes into the exercise workout. However, your diet is as important as your physical regimen. As you exercise, it is important that you give your body the nutrients that it needs, in order to help it recover from the strains of physical exercise.

Kinds of Exercises

There are three kinds of exercises that are grouped according to their general effect on the body. These include Aerobics exercise, anaerobic exercise and flexibility exercise.

Aerobic exercises have focus on cardiovascular endurance while anaerobic exercises focus on short-term muscular strength. Flexibility exercises on the other hand are useful for improving the range of motion of joints and muscles.

Importance of Proper Breathing

Active exhalation as a person does physical exercises is a great disability help because it aids the lungs get its maximum capacity. Thus, better efficiency is achieved because there is less stress on the heart in oxygenating the muscles. The increased blood flow also increases the efficiency of the muscles. Deliberately doing deep breathing as a disabled do an aerobic exercise will help him develop his heart and lungs.

Rest and Recovery Periods

It is important for a disabled person to realize that there must be sufficient rest and recovery between exercise sessions. Without them, the body will be in a state where it is permanently injured and therefore not be improved by the exercise. Resting in between exercise sessions allows the body to refill its glycogen level, which is stored in the liver and the skeletal muscles.

The Right Diet

The right eating style is also an essential disability help since an ideal weight can only be sustained in the long run if there is a suitable diet. The kind of diet will depend on each person. There are people that can go well with three big meals a day while some would need to have snacks in between meals. A dietician would be the best person to draw a dietary plan for you.

The What and How of Wheelchair Exercises

It is easy for disabled persons that are confined to wheelchairs to suffer poor health and gain weight because of lack of exercise. Because of the lack of freedom brought by the confinement, most disabled do not have the inclination to go on a fitness regimen. If ever they do, there is often not enough information on how to perform an exercises and what regimen are best suited for them. Thus, most disabled are looking for wheelchair exercises that are best suited for them.

In general, most wheelchair confined disabled will get the most benefit from resistance training, because it helps in improving the strength of upper body muscles and there is less chances of injury. However, stretching the major upper body muscles such as arms, shoulders, neck and back should not be overlooked, as it is essential to maintain flexibility in preventing injuries.

Wheelchair exercises that include cardio workout, stretching and strength or resistance training should be done regularly in order to increase strength, energy and endurance, as well as reduce fatigue and stress.

Although chair exercises are greatly beneficial for people with disabilities, they are also prescribed for older adults, for people who have trouble standing or lying on the floor to exercise and for those who have poor balance. This is because such exercises are gentle and are safe for most people.

However, before doing any exercise or diet program, be sure to talk with your doctor or physical therapist first. A professional will know what wheelchair workouts are best for you. There might also be a condition that you do not know that can compromise your health, and a physical therapist can guide you on the proper use of fitness machine, aid in transferring you from one gym machine to another and motivate you to continue with our regimen.

When it comes to cardio activities, they can be difficult for people in wheelchair because they do not have the utility of their legs. However, for disable people who are fit enough, they can benefit from doing low impact aerobic activity regularly that takes 20 to 30 minutes. The exercise should be done 3 times a week at least. Some of the wheelchair sports that you can do for your cardio are hockey, basketball and volleyball.

Alternatively, you can also do simple laps around a track or park on a manual wheelchair. This has the advantage of getting your heart pumping as well as increasing the strength of your arms, shoulders and chest muscles.

In performing wheelchair exercises, safety should always be your prime consideration. To be able to do them effectively and safely, you should always warm up with stretching exercises before and after a workout. These will be your warm up and cool down regimen, which should take from five to ten minutes each.

Always do exercises with the right posture.

In performing resistance training, warm yourself up with light weights, increasing gradually to heavier weights as you go along with your regimen. Mind your breathing as you lift weights. Exhale as you lift and inhale as you lower the weights.

Keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of water as you exercise and eat only a snack or light meal an hour before going to the gym. If you feel faint at any time during your exercise, take a break or stop your activity.