Get Moving: Tips for Exercising with a Disability

Regardless of your age, ability level, or background, everyone benefits from exercise. Physical activity can help you control your weight, lowers stress, lowers your risk for heart disease and other chronic conditions, improves your mental and emotional health, and increases your ability to perform day-to-day tasks and live independently.

Exercise means something different for everyone

Any physical activity that gets your heart rate up counts as exercise. Taking a walk, gardening, performing household chores such as vacuuming, going to the gym, swimming, biking, dancing, playing a sport, jumping rope, following a fitness video, stretching on the floor, lifting weights… it all counts!

Get 150 minutes of exercise a week

 

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans handbook (link below) suggests that all adults, including those with disabilities, should get at least 150 minutes, or 2.5 hours, of aerobic (“with oxygen”), also called cardio, exercise each week. That means the exercise should be low-intensity and sustained over a period of time — usually at least 15 minutes — so that your breathing and heart rate increase.

 

Even if you only have small amounts of time throughout your day, you can use them to contribute to your 2.5 hours. Even if you only have five minutes for rolling your wheelchair, walking to the end of your block, doing yoga stretches, or going up and down stairs, it all counts! If you do enough of it throughout the week, you’ll reach 2.5 hours in no time!

Start safely

Before you take on any new activity or decide to start an exercise regimen, talk to your doctor. They can determine what level and types of activities you can do with your particular abilities, create a personalized exercise plan, and help you prevent potential risks. They can also work with you to make modifications and measure your progress.

 

Set goals

You wouldn’t start learning to swim by diving head first into the deep end of a pool, so you shouldn’t start exercising by expecting to spend 2.5 hours performing any new exercise. Instead, set reasonable, measurable goals that you can achieve, giving you a sense of accomplishment that fuels you as you gradually increase your time and level of difficulty.

 

For example, you can start by planning three times a week when you can spend 15 minutes each day moving your body.

 

Then you can slowly increase to 30 minutes per day, then slowly adding resistance — for example, ankle or wrist weights or stair-climbing. Be sure to celebrate when you reach your goals or achieve personal bests; this will energize you to keep going.

Try a lot of things to see what fits

When you begin an exercise journey, it’s a good idea to try a lot of different activities to see what works for you. Even if you discover something you don’t enjoy, it’s good to know for the next time. It’s also a good idea to vary your exercise routine so that you’re working different parts of your body and are less likely to get bored. Try yoga, swimming, walking/jogging, resistance bands, cycling, or a community sport. 

Join a community

Having others supporting you, cheering you on, and pushing you to keep going can keep you from quitting when the going gets tough. Fellow fitness class members, trainers, clubs, or social media groups all provide that important motivation you need and keep you accountable so you don’t quit. The power of community has been shown to be powerful, helping to strengthen your commitment. Plus, it offers social benefits, and as we know, the power of connection is an important part of staying healthy. Plus, a little friendly competition can push you to try new challenges.

 

Look for your own fitness community on Meetup.com, or start one yourself! You can also find online communities, such as Newabilityonline.org, a social media platform that connects youth with disabilities. 

 

Facebook also is home to a number of public groups designed for people with disabilities who are interested in fitness. They include Disability rehab & prevention Fitness Movement, Fitness for Adults with Disabilities, and Improve Your Mobility. 

Listen to your body

Attempting a challenge and pushing your body physically is a good thing. But pushing too hard can cause you to hurt yourself or turn away from exercise altogether. A little muscle soreness from exercise is okay and indicates that you’re using and building muscles. But pay attention to areas where you feel pain or true discomfort. That means you should stop and reassess your level or type of activity.

 

To avoid causing injury or burnout, build in time to rest. Take a rest day between exercise days. Alternate between strength-training and aerobic exercise. And be sure to stretch your body lightly before and after exercise, so you have time to warm up or cool down your muscles.

Find or create accessible spaces

Whether you plan to exercise on your living room floor, at a park, on the streets in your neighborhood, at a gym, or somewhere else, be sure that it’s a safe, accessible environment where you feel safe and won’t encounter obstacles to movement. If you’re considering attending a gym or other athletic facility, call ahead to check what accommodations they may have available and how accessible the space is for people with disabilities.

Create a customized exercise routine

Your disability may limit some of the exercises you can do, so create a routine that focuses on what you can do. For example, those in wheelchairs can do arm and shoulder exercises, such as shoulder presses, resistance-band exercises, seated side stretches and twists, or rowing machines. Those with visual impairments can do guided workouts, yoga, or other exercises with verbal cues. Swimming and water aerobics also are great exercises for those with limited mobility or pain because being in water reduces strain on joints caused by gravity and hard surfaces.

S.E.L.E.C.T. the right exercise

The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability suggests using the acronym SELECT to get and stay physically active:

 

S: Social engagement. Most people who regularly exercise with others stick with it.

E: Enjoyment. We all know that if we don’t enjoy an activity, we aren’t likely to keep doing it. Be sure any exercise you do is something that you’ll want to keep doing.

L: Learning. Look for activities that provide a little challenge and teach you a new skill or something about yourself. This fosters a sense of achievement.

E: Exploration. Seeing new places and having new experiences is alluring and can give you a sense of adventure that adds to your enjoyment. Look for ways to follow your curiosity and get outside of your everyday settings.

C: Competition (the friendly kind). A touch of competition can push you to perform at your best. Fitness trackers that let you connect with others, training for a 5K, or playing sports can be a way to boost the competitive spirit a bit, which adds to your fun.

T: Task completion. There’s something satisfying about crossing items off your “to-do” list. So why not put exercise on your list? It will keep you more motivated to do it, and then you’ll feel like you’ve really achieved something when you can cross it off!

Helpful Resources

The following resources can provide in-depth information about exercise for people with disabilities:

  • Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) “Physical Activity for People with Disability” provides tips to get people with disabilities more active, and lists some valuable resources for getting started.
  • Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition: Published by Health.gov, this PDF provides exercise guidelines for Americans of all ages and information about exercise recommendations and statistics.
  • Disability Horizons lists the 10 best exercises for people with disabilities. Each exercise is described, with tips for who’s best suited to do it and modifications you might want to include.
  • The Blue Badge Blog, written by a man with a disability in Manchester, includes a list of exercises that are good for people with disabilities. It even suggests the types of activities that are suited to specific disabilities, such as chair-bound, visually impaired, or amputee individuals.
  • CertifyStrong provides courses for Adaptive Personal Trainer certification. On this page of its website, the organization ranks the best exercise equipment for people with disabilities.
  • Able Fitness lists places where you can find free or low-cost virtual fitness classes that you can do anywhere.
  • Let’s Go Fitness offers online fitness and yoga classes for people of all abilities. The membership fee of $20 a month provides access to unlimited classes, as well as tips for modifications and accommodations to try.

Get Fit Safely details 12 types of adaptive fitness equipment that can be helpful for those with disabilities.