What exercises can you do in a wheelchair?

Everybody’s circumstances are different, and it’s important to stay informed on what activities can benefit you the most. Your doctor or physio will be able to advise as to the specific limitations you face, but there’s all sorts of help out there.

Groups like Parasport and the English Federation of Disability Sport provide detailed advice for active-minded wheelchair users. Local recreation centres are also likely to host specialist classes, so get in touch if you’re looking for somewhere to start.

Any exercise programme you enter into will have a specific goal, with certain types of activity most suited to helping you smash that goal. These might include:

• Flexibility exercise. This can help prevent your muscles atrophying, as well as increase your mobility and manage pain. Regular stretches, or even yoga is a great start.
• Cardiovascular exercise. Good for building stamina and overall fitness. Swimming is a particularly good exercise for people using wheelchairs.
• Strength training. This isn’t just good for the obvious bone and muscle strength. It also improves balance, which many people in wheelchairs have issues with early on.

Of course, all these can be performed in a huge variety of settings to suit your individual preferences. The NHS provides advice on simple chair exercises you can perform on the fly, but you can take it one step further and get into one of a huge range of sports adapted specifically for wheelchairs. Basketball, tennis, even rugby all have an established following within the community.

Getting started with wheelchair exercise

Adjusting to an active lifestyle is hard enough, with limited mobility it can seem overwhelming at first. Don’t worry, just take it one day at a time and bear the following in mind:

• Start at a reasonable pace. Listen to your body and set yourself achievable goals. Once you’ve got into the swing of things, your confidence will gather some serious momentum.
• Incorporate exercise into your routine. Don’t be opportunistic, make a plan and stick to it, it can take up to a month for a habit to form, and it’ll feel like an achievement in itself once your reach that point.
• Multi-task. Listen to music or a podcast while working out. Or get together with friends and make it a social activity.
• Warm up and cool down. Your body functions just like everyone else’s, take responsible precautions to avoid doing yourself a mischief. Remember to stay hydrated too!
• Focus on what you enjoy. Remember, you’re doing this for yourself, so don’t be a fitness martyr. Pick a sport you enjoy, focus on what you can do and take the time to feel proud of what you’ve accomplished!

Singlewell is committed to helping those with limited mobility enjoy a full and satisfying quality of life. Do you have any tips or experiences of getting wheelchair active to share? Leave a comment and let us know.

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