wheelchair user struggling to exercise , looking for advise

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hoy1974
hoy1974 Posts: 4
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi

I am a wheelchair user who is currently trying to loose weight, I am however struggling with exercising, while I can feel my legs and I can get in and out of my wheelchair, I cannot stand or bare any weight on my legs. I am on 1200 cals a day but i am always going over this amount (not by very much, but still). I would like to exercise but not sure how to do this. the other thing that makes this difficult is that I do need to loose weight on my thighs and bum.

Any help is appreciated.:smile:

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  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,720 Member
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    I used to be a wheelchair user but have since graduated to crutches. I am sure you will get more suggestions for dedicated forms of exercises such as arm bicycles and upper body strength training with dumbells or resistance bands.

    Even confined to a hospital environment, I would try to get exercise doing normal transfers. If you are capable of sit to stand, doing a lot of those is pretty strenuous. If you cannot stand and do your transfers on a banana board, I would think practicing a lot of banana board transfers would be pretty strenuous too. Would use your heart rate as a guide as to how strenuous this is in terms of cardio. If you have access to physio I would get them to show you core (pilates type) exercises that can be done on a bed. I was able to do quite a lot of core exercises while I was wheelchair bound.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Look for some seated exercise videos.

    Jessica Smith has three chair workouts on YouTube: http://jessicasmithtv.com/?s=chair

    A couple of DVD brands to look for: Sit to Be Fit & Chair Dancing

    You can watch video clips & read reviews at collagevideo.com

    http://www.collagevideo.com/collections/vendors?q=Sit & Be Fit

    http://www.collagevideo.com/products/chair-dancing-favorites-greatest-hits
  • JeanCricket
    JeanCricket Posts: 171 Member
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    Recommend Sit & Be Fit DVDs
  • dasher602014
    dasher602014 Posts: 1,992 Member
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    Bob Anderson and Dr. Donald G Bornell have a book 'Stretch and Strengthen for Rehabilitation and Development' which is good and I second the Chair dancing for cardio.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    You will lose weight on your thighs and bum whether you exercise or not.

    Is the wheelchair needed because of your weight? If so, why not focus on diet until you're down to a more mobile size then add exercise. Diet is the one essential. Exercise is great for health but you can lose weight just fine without it, if needed.

    Good luck!

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