fitness for the disabled.

dazzlers59937

I look at all the get fit exercises here and on the web, but don't see things for people who are disabled. About the only thing I can actually do is walk and that has had absolutely no impact on my weight. I would like to see ways to modify the fitness exercises on this site for people who cannot kneel, be on their stomachs etc.

Strudders67

Although it's great for muscles and general health, you don't need to exercise to lose weight - you just need to eat less. Walking far enough, for long enough and/or at a brisk enough pace will have an effect on your calorie burn but, if you're eating more than you burn then, no, you won't lose weight. A lot of people overestimate how much any given exercise will burn.

That said, what sort of exercises are you looking for? If you want to strengthen arm / leg muscles, google "chair exercises" and adapt them to your ability. The NHS has quite a lot that you could use as a starting point. Or try "exercise with limited mobility" or a search specific to whatever disability you have.

callsitlikeiseeit

you lose weight in the kitchen. you gain fitness in the gym (or even by simply walking).

youtube has a lot of good wheelchair exercises Ive heard, that you may be able to use/adapt to your needs.

owieprone

Going further with the 2 previous comments also look up wheelchair sports, many cater for the able bodied so that there is enough competition for those who actually use a wheelchair (assuming you don't).

Fencing is one such sport, you can sit down in a normal chair to fence as if you were a wheelchair user, it depends on the club if they have a specific disability coach but most will let you know if they're able to cater for you or not.

As you've not mentioned what your disability is and how far you can walk i'll assume you're upright most of the time, what about swimming, biking (there are adult trikes available now if balance is an issue, e-bikes for energy/power issues), Fencing, recreational skating, walking football, or karate?

Most clubs are very inclusive for anyone with a disability, fencing and karate are particularly suited for anyone with energy level issues as you can stop and start within a session and get back into line when you're up to it. Fencing is bout based so you can do warm-ups, some lone training and as many bouts as you can manage.

I do all of the above sports plus a few more, I have mal de debarquement so have intermittent energy, cognitive and balance issues, I've had to give up a few sports because of it.

It's worth looking around and trying different sports even if you don't think it's your cup of tea or if you don't think you'll manage it. Once you've tried it you'll know for sure and it's a great experience meeting different people and trying new things, most clubs will do a free taster session before you join so the only outlay you will have is getting there.

Good luck