A Simple Wheelchair Exercise To Help Your Body And Mind Get Fit - Nurse's Guide - By: Helen Hecker

If you're spending any time in a wheelchair you're not likely to be getting the exercise you need. No matter what type of disability you may have we all know that we need exercise to release hormones like endorphins to help us boost our immune systems.

One reason to exercise that you don't hear about often and has been recently reported by brain doctors and other brain experts is that exercise gets the blood circulating to the brain and helps prevent dementia and possibly other brain or neurological diseases. This is all the more reason to get started today on a fitness program.

Starting out on an exercise program can seem overwhelming. There are many exercises you can do that involve both resistance training and strength training.

I'm focusing on just one easy exercise here so you can start out slowly. You can easily get more exercises after you give this a try for a few days and see how you do. Make sure to check with your doctor first before you start any new exercise program, workout or fitness routine.

An easy wheelchair exercise - the biceps curl:

Sit in a chair that has good back support and preferably with no arms. You can also do this in your wheelchair but may not be quite as easy depending on the kind of chair you have. Put your feet on the floor. Make sure to keep them flat and not too wide. You want to go no wider than your shoulders.

Find some dumbbells or other weights that weigh less than five pounds. Use three pounds or so to start. If that's too light you can add more weight. Something that feels comfortable. If you don't have dumbbells or hand weights then you can use cans of food or anything else that you have two of that weighs the same.

Then hold the weights in your hands down at your sides. Make sure your palms face the side of your body. One at a time bring your hand up and turn it so your palm is facing your chest. Hold this for a second or two. Then slower lower your arm down to your sides. Then do this again with the other arm. Do 12 repetitions with each arm. This is called one set. Do 3 sets but start out the first day only doing one set and then slowly add the other sets in the next few days if it feels good. Make sure to rest a minute or so between sets.

There are many easy exercises you can do whether you're disabled or not. But starting with one won't seem so overwhelming. You want to make sure to exercise every day. You want to get the circulation moving in a workout so you keep your mind sharp and your body as fit as it can be. Add other exercises as soon as possible. There are many good wheelchair exercise DVDs and fitness DVDs for people in wheelchairs that can help you too.

About the Author

For more information on wheelchair exercise and travel tips for people with disabilities, go to a nurse's website http://www.AllAboutDisabledTravel.com specializing in travel, wheelchairs, exercise, sports and more with tips, help, advice and resources including info on wheelchair exercise DVD

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