How to Stay Fit When You Are Disabled

(Image credit: Disabledonthego.com )

Fitness is very important for disabled people. It reduces the risk of additional health problems and alleviates existing medical conditions. It also makes them self-reliant and acts as a method to socialize with other disabled individuals.

If you think you are fit because you have a toned body, you are wrong! Staying fit is about being physically and mentally active. If you are a disabled person in search of easy and effective ways to stay fit, here are 6 fitness tips that will help you stay active and transform your life positively.

1. Delegate Tasks That You Can’t Do

Delegating tasks that you can’t do ensures you don’t stretch yourself. What’s more, this allows you to focus on things that you can do, as opposed to things you can’t. This helps you to stay active, both mentally, and physically.

So, prepare a list of tasks, which are difficult for you to do and request your family and friends to take care of them for you. If you can, also hire a professional caregiver for this purpose. Local hospitals, disability forums, and your community club can help you get a reliable caregiver.

2. Indulge in Physical Activity

Physical activity is good for your body as it increases your stamina and strengthens your muscles and bones; it also makes your joints, ligaments, and tendons more flexible, reduces spasticity, improves functioning of vital organs, controls body weight and increases alertness.

Physical activity is also beneficial for your mental health. It makes you self-confident, self-reliant, triggers a sense of achievement and helps you learn new skills.

Choose a physical activity, which is suitable for you and make it a part of your daily routine. You could even join fitness programs that specially cater to the needs of the disabled.

If you don’t want to spend money in such programs, even indulging in household chores like gardening, wiping, dusting, sweeping, and cooking can help you stay in shape. At least 30 minutes of physical activity daily can help you stay active and fit. Start slowly and gradually increase the duration of activity.

However, before starting your physical activity program, consult your doctor for the right kind of physical activity for you.

3. Boost Your Mental Well-Being

Disability often results in a sedentary lifestyle, which affects your mental health. Therefore, taking care of your mental health is as important as taking care of your physical health. Several activities help you stay mentally active.

You can play games like crossword, Sudoku, anagram, quiz, and puzzle. They test your knowledge, improve mental aptitude, enhance your problem solving skills, increase your awareness and help your brain work faster.

You can also try your hands on a hobby. Find something that you enjoy doing. Activities like sewing, woodworking, traveling, painting, writing, and jewelry making not only take your mind off from your stressful routine, but also keep your mind active.

4. Never Starve

The thumb rule for staying fit is that you should never starve and skip your meal. This doesn’t mean that you start overeating. Eating food at regular intervals, ideally three meals a day, helps ensure you maintain optimal body weight.

Avoid unhealthy snacks, processed and canned foods; include green leafy vegetables, whole grains, fresh fruits, and lean sources of protein in your daily diet . Such healthy food items boost your energy levels, improve metabolism, prevent diseases and facilitate optimal physical and mental performance.

If you suffer from digestive problems and chewing problems, juices can help a lot. They are not heavy on your stomach and nourish your body with essential vitamins and minerals. Go for anti-oxidant rich fruits, as they help control disease causing free radicals.

5. Avoid Stress

You need to lead a stress free life at all costs. Overwork and lack of sleep can make you stressful. It can affect your ability to focus, memory, motor skills, and mood.

An eight-hour sleep at night prevents stress and makes you feel energetic the next day. It also heals muscle pain and enables you to perform physical activities with ease.

Having a nap during the daytime also improves your productivity and helps you stay active for longer periods. You must stick to a short nap of 5 to 10 minutes to avoid feeling sleepy and exhausted. Exercise , meditation and yoga can also relieve stress and result in good health.

6. Connect to People

Socializing helps relieve stress, reduce self-pity, and avoid depression . Thus, connecting to friends, family , and positive people also contributes to your fitness . A social gathering, a recreational activity, or a promotion campaign of a social cause can also help you meet people with similar interests; you can share fitness tips with them and the very process of interaction will help you get rid of stress.

However, at times connecting to people becomes difficult when you have trouble moving around. Heavy-duty assistive vehicles like Pride mobility scooters can enable you to maneuver on all type of surfaces without fearing about falls; essentially these vehicles can make you more active as you can visit your friends, make a trip to the nearest store and a whole lot more. You could even accompany your friends and family on vacations.

You can use durable and lightweight vehicles like Pride Go Go scooter , indoors as well as outdoors. Its disassembling design also allows you to carry it with you when you travel.

Endnote

Never underestimate your capacity; disability often offers an opportunity to learn new skills. With these tips, you can remain active and explore new skills to keep pace with the changes in your life.