Exercises in a Wheelchair

Nearly one out of every 50 people live with paralysis, according to the 2011 Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation website. Whatever the cause of their paralysis, people in wheelchairs can benefit from exercises. In fact, physical exercise can help you get stronger, gain endurance, lose weight, relieve depression, sleep better and have an improved quality of life whether you are in a wheelchair or not. Check with a physical therapist or fitness trainer before you start an exercise program, to learn proper form and technique.

Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic activities are those that make your heart, lungs and blood vessels work hard. The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that you work at a moderate level at least 2 ½ hours a week or at a vigorous level 1 ¼ hours a week, and that you spread your activity over at least three days a week. Get your heart beating faster by doing your strength training without rest breaks or by wheeling yourself at a brisk pace. Set up a course to travel and time yourself as you wheel from spot to spot.

Strength Training

Strength training can be as simple as shoulder shrugs and rotations, arm circles, finger wiggling, squeezing a small ball and raising and lowering your legs. You can also rotate your wrists and ankles. Once you have gained strength, move on to resistance bands and dumbbells to increase your muscle strength and mass even more. Begin with thin resistance bands or light weights and move up to thicker bands and heavier weights. Suck in your abdomen to protect your back during all exercises.

Do a biceps curl by keeping your elbows pressed against your sides with your forearms parallel to the floor. Bend your elbows and raise the dumbbells to shoulder height. Hold the position for three seconds and lower slowly.

Do an overhead press beginning with your elbows bent at your sides, holding the dumbbells parallel to the floor on either side of your shoulders. Slowly push the dumbbells straight up over your head. Hold for three seconds and slowly lower to the starting position. Do 12 repetitions of both exercises three times each.

Flexibility

Both paralyzed and functional muscles need flexibility. Reach and stretch your arms and legs, holding positions for 5 to 10 seconds. Do three sets of stretching exercises for each arm, leg, hand and foot. The American Council on Exercise recommends active movement if possible, but says that having your limb moved passively by yourself or a therapist is also effective.

Other Physical Activity

Some people in wheelchairs participate in special activities and compete competitively. At a 2004 event sponsored by the American College of Sports Medicine, participants in wheelchairs played table tennis and miniature golf and bowled along with other participants. In the 2010 Paralympics games in Vancouver, Canada, disabled athletes competed in wheelchair curling, skiing while sitting in specially designed seats, luge events and sled hockey.