Exercises for People in Manual Wheelchairs

If you’re living with limited mobility and have been instructed by your physician to get exercise, you may be thinking “yeah right!”

Even though just thinking about exercising may seem exhausting it truly is beneficial to you staying healthy and in the best possible shape you can be in. In terms of exercise, we’re not talking about weight lifting or kick boxing, just simple aerobic exercise can make a huge difference on your health. Aerobic exercise increases your oxygen intake and strengthens your heart and lungs. If you use a manual wheelchair, aerobic exercise can increase upper body strength and stamina.

Here are few aerobic exercises that manual wheelchair users can truly benefit from:
•    Stretching. Simple arm stretches can keep blood flowing properly in your limbs and increase joint flexibility. Try some yoga sun salutations. This involves slowly raising your arms above you head, while keeping them should width apart while stretching your neck and back and breathing deeply.

•    Sitting push-ups. By raising yourself in your chair in sets, you are giving your upper body a really great workout while keeping your cardiovascular endurance up. In addition you're reliving pressure on your lower extremities by distributing muscle mass.